


Making a Better Yesterday

by White_Noise



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Justice Lords
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-16 02:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 29,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Noise/pseuds/White_Noise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Justice Lords of Earth-16 have only one goal. Go back in time and prevent the murder of their children. That is, unless the Justice League and Young Justice have anything to say about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this as a fill for a prompt over at the yj anon meme, which became my first ever attempt at a DC story. Like my other work, this is being moved here from ff.net for safety.
> 
> Prompt: The Justice Lords of Earth-16 became Justice Lords because the Young Justice team was brutally murdered by the Light in a calculated effort to get the Justice League to see things their way. It works beyond the Light's wildest dreams. The Justice League eradicates every single member of the Light and go on to put the entire world under their control, all because their children were murdered.
> 
> When the Justice Lords come into the past, they immediately target Young Justice to "keep them safe" and prevent them from being murdered in the first place.

Bats flew through the dark, fighting with each other as they settled in to nests in the caves walls. Their cheeps echoing through the dank, mingling with the steady dripping as water fell from the caverns above, and the hum of a generator. The noises mixed together, to make an unholy noise of chaos. A chaos which the single human occupant of the cave did not seem to notice. The figure sat, a sickly light from the computers around him, washing him with colour. But the man didn't look at the screens. Instead, he sat, staring at the object in his hand. A black cowl, a mask to hide the truth. A symbol which no longer held true.

If asked, many people would identify the man as Bruce Wayne, Billionaire, Owner of one of the biggest companies in the World, and unofficial Prince of Gotham City. Those are the people who didn't know the man.

Only a very small group of selected and trusted crime fighters would recognize this man as the infamous Batman, unholy terror of the night. But these are the people who knew the truth. Those people who could remember the night, when Batman lost his humanity, when Bruce Wayne ceased to exist. They all knew the cause, all saw how on that day, the 'Day of Death' as the media had so carelessly dubbed it, the murder of seven children had led to this nightmare.

Because Batman wasn't the only one. And he was about to be reminded of that fact.

A face flashed onto one of the screens, boyish black hair and bright blue eyes doing nothing to soften the hard look.

"Batman!" The man called.

Batman looked at the screen, eyes narrowing as his grip on his discarded cowl tightened.

"What do you want Clark?" he growled.

The man, known and feared as the alien Superman, ignored the hostility of the comment.

"There has been some disturbances in your area. If you don't deal with it now, the rest of the Lords will step in."

Batman turned away.

"Go ahead." he muttered.

Superman nodded.

"The punishment will be broadcast. We have had too many incidents this month. It is clear the population needs a reminder of what we are trying to achieve."

"Which is?" Batman finally snapped, standing up and glaring at the screen.

Superman didn't even try to stare him down.

"You know the answer to that Bruce." he replied, using the small reminder of Batman's former humanity against him.

With another animalistic growl, Batman threw the cowl to the floor, kicking it away from his work space. It rolled, stopping under an old medical table. Batman froze, remembering. Remembering how he had carefully laid down the body, treating it like a sleeping child, rather then a dead one. Remembering how he had taken off his own cape to cover the body, because he didn't want to look at it, yet he couldn't bare to leave its side. Remembering how, on that very table, he lost his belief in the good of man.

Superman watched his friend for a moment before looking away, remembering as Batman remembered.

"Three years today." he muttered. "I know you are hurting Batman but don't take it out on us. We are all struggling, same as you."

Batman ignored Superman, his eyes still glued to the table. Superman sighed, and skipped to the part of the conversation he had been dreading.

"How is the project coming?"

Again, silence.

"You know, some of the other Lords think you have lost your mind. They don't think what you are doing is possible."

This was enough to get Batman's attention. He turned, a murderous look in his eyes.

"It is possible and I will do it." He said in a surprisingly flat voice.

Superman nodded.

"I don't doubt you my friend, but not everyone can live on hope like you and I can. The others are going to need some evidence soon."

Batman turned away from the screen once more, marching over to the medical table. Quickly, he retrieved the cowl from under it. Slowly, he brushed the dust off it before slipping it over his head.

His face now unreadable, he turned back to the screen.

"Remember Superman, you are working to make this world safe for our children. I am working to bring our children home."


	2. Chapter 2

_3 years before_

For a day that would go down in History as one of the worst the Justice League had ever seen, the last day of the Covert Team, the Young Justice, it was a bright and sunny morning.

The members of the team had all gathered at their headquarters at Mount Justice to go through their latest training session. The last week had been hard on the whole team, with their respective school lives as well as a sudden increase in the criminal activity in the surrounding cities, and all of them were looking forward to a small training session and hanging out with each other. This joy was doubled with the arrival of Red Arrow aka Roy Harper, one of the on again, off again members of the team who in recent weeks, had begun to reconcile with his mentor Green Arrow, and Green Arrows new sidekick and Young Justice team member Artemis. It was a slow and according to Wally West, the teams resident speedster, a painful process but Roy was finally coming around to his former mentors way of thinking and was once again trusting the Justice League into his life.

The kids were milling around the training area, waiting for Black Canary to arrive. What they weren't expecting was for the main computer to flicker to life and their combat instructor to appear on the screen.

"Bad news everyone" she called, gaining the teams attention. "I have been called away on a League mission, so training today is cancelled. You are all free to go."

The room was silent for a moment before Wally cheered, running a few laps around his team.

Kaldur, the team leader ignored the speedster, looking up at the computer.

"May I ask why? Surely there is someone else who can train us." He said.

Black Canary smiled.

"Batman has ordered it. You have all been working hard this week. Think of it as a reward from the League."

Behind Kaldur, Roy snorted.

"Typical." He muttered. But there was no real venom in the words.

Black Canary just smiled before deactivating the screen.

Wally, finally finished with his laps, skidded to a halt beside Robin, the teams youngest but most experienced member.

"What are you so excited about?" Robin asked, smiling under the mask.

Wally grinned.

"Dude! Day off! What's not to like?"

Beside them, Megan smiled.

"Yay! I will make cookies to celebrate! Oh, I have that new recipe I have been meaning to test on you Wally!"

Wally gave her a goofy smile.

"That's great, but I won't need them. I have plans."

In front of them, Artemis snorted.

"Like what?" She asked, turning towards them.

"Going out to lunch with the Flash." Wally replied.

Artemis rolled her eyes while Robin laughed.

"Where are you going, Alaska?" he muttered.

Wally grinned and threw an arm around Robins shoulder.

"No, Florida." He replied.

Artemis rolled her eyes again.

"Well enjoy yourself. Some of us have a ton of homework to finish."

With that she turned, slinging her quiver of arrows over her back. With a quick wave, she left the room.

With Artemis' departure, the group slowly broke apart, making their goodbyes as they all headed home. None of them realising that they would never see each other again, never laugh and joke with each other again. Never team up and fight crime together again. None of them realised that, as they left for their individual homes that morning, that their lives were drawing to a close. 

Soon, only Megan and Superboy were left. Superboy, who had only recently been gifted with the name Connor Kent after a long and awkward conversation with Superman, grunted and turned, heading to the entertainment room. Megan sighed. Despite her continued attempts, Superboy was still closed off from her. She stood in the middle of the room, thinking. A strange buzz reached the back of her mind. Megan jumped slightly and tried to latch on to the feeling, to find out where it had come from but it was already gone. Pushing the information to the back of her mind to analyse later, Megan turned and headed to the kitchen. Maybe if she didn't burn the cookies too much, Superboy would start to open up to her.


	3. Chapter 3

_Three hours later._

Clark floated next to J'onn as the two made their way into Mount Justice, the Martian surprisingly tense next to him. The two had left the Watchtower in a hurry after J'onn had sensed a telepathic scream which he had claimed had come from his niece.

The main hall was empty as Clark touched down and scanned the room. Then he touched his ear, activating the comlink.

"Diana, anything?" he asked.

From the other end of the link, Wonder Woman replied.

"No Clark. Hal is still trying to get a connection to the Mount Justice computer, but nothing yet."

Superman sighed.

"Ok, thank you. Superman Out."

"Superman!"

Clark slowly turned to where J'onn was standing, waiting for him.

"I can sense both Superboy and M'gann. Superboy is in the entertainment room and M'gann is in the bio-ship. Neither of them are reacting to my telepathic calls."

Clark nodded.

"You go to Megan. I will find Conner."

With that, Clark took to the air, flying through the halls to the entertainment room. At first look, the room appeared deserted.

Ignoring the smell of burnt cookies, Clark landed softly on the ground.

"Conner?" He called, trying not to raise his voice. He may not have known his young cloned that long but he did know the young hero was still having trouble with his super hearing.

There was no reply. Worried, Clark activated his x-ray vision ad scanned the room again.

There!

Conner was lying on the floor, the couch partly shielding him from Clarks view. Without thinking, The Man of Steel jumped over the couch and landed at his young clones side.

"Conner?" he called again, shaking the boy slightly. Conner was cold under his hands. Quickly, Clark searched for a pulse before activating his x-ray vision again. Conners heart was still beating but too slowly for the teenager to survive. Fighting the rising panic, Superman reached up to activate his comm again but stopped, his x-ray vision still active as it swept across Conners body. Something green was burning through Conners stomach like an acid. Superman was no fool, he knew Kryptonite when he saw it. Somehow, Conner had ingested the mineral and it was shutting down his system.

Clark reached for his comm once again. A pain filled scream filled his mind, causing the Man of Steel to grip his head in agony. The suddenly, it was gone. Worried for his partner, Clark picked up Conner and tried to telepathically call J'onn, hoping to identify the souce of the scream. The Martian was quick to reply in a flat, emotionless voice.

"M'gann is dead." Then the link fell silent.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wonder Woman sat in the control room of the Watch Tower, frozen in horror as the information piled up before her eyes. Clark had given his report, alone with the Manhunters report. The Man of Steel was in shock. He had managed to rush his young clone to StarLabs but the young man had succumbed to his injuries even as the scientists had rushed to save his life. But this hadn't been as shocking as Megans death. It appeared that the girl was responsible for Conner ingesting Kryptonite, putting the substance in a dust like form into the cookies she had made. It seemed that the girl had lost her mind as she had poisoned her friend before retreating to her bio-ship. She had then forced the ship to retract in size, crushing herself with the sheer force of her own mind. Diana had listened Clark had broken down at this news, unable to tell him the news she had received not ten minutes before.

Red Arrow, Roy Harper was dead. The young man had called his former mentor an hour before, claiming that his apartment had been broken into. Ollie, worried for him, had headed over to help Roy, only to find the apartment a mess. One of Red Arrows bomb tipped arrows had exploded, causing a chain reaction and showering the room with deadly shrapnel. Roy had been hit and had died of blood loss before Ollie had even arrived.

Green Arrow had called the Watch Tower in a hysterical state, trying and failing to hold himself together under the pressure. Diana had swung into action, sending Green Lantern Hal Jordan over to help his friend. But now and with the death of two others, she could see a pattern forming and had sent an emergency message to all members of the League to check on their children. She herself had spent a panic filled few minutes trying desperately to get in contact with her own little sister. Thankfully Donna was safe. But the information slowly coming in wasn't good.

Black Canary had dropped her mission and was heading off to find Artemis, already guessing that the loss of Roy had put Ollie out of action, but Aquaman had already reported in. Aqualad had taken a stray hit of some kind of magic while visiting friends in Atlantis. Normally, this shouldn't have stopped the young man but his behaviour after the incident was enough to cause concern for his mentor and Aquaman had rushed his partner to StarLabs for a medical assessment and was now waiting for the report.

Diana jumped as another hero made contact. It was Barry. The speedster was in a panic, even as he ran. His nephew had apparently lost control over his speed, leading to Barry trying to chase him down. Diana could already see how dangerous this could be. Despite their unique abilities, Diana knew the speedsters were not completely immune to the forces of gravity and a loss of control could only end in disaster. Diana quickly urged Barry to slow Wally down, no matter what. Anything else could be dangerous to both speedsters. 

Another line fired up and Diana quickly took it. Black Canary was at the Gotham apartment Artemis shared with her mother. And she wasn't the first. Someone had broken into the home and killed Artemis and her mother in an execution style shooting.

Diana felt the tears in her eyes. Another young hero gone. The Young Justice would have a hard time recovering from this. Diana stopped as the names connected in her head. All the dead heroes were members of that team. Even the current injured ones were. But there was one missing.

Sitting up, she quickly activated her comm.

"Batman, pick up. Someone is targeting young heroes. You need to make sure Robin is safe."

The comm was silent. Diana sighed, closing down the link as another report came in. What she didn't know was at that moment, Batman was sitting in one of the dark streets in Gotham, holding Robin close as the young hero died. A fatal beating had crushed the boys ribcage, leaving him to drown in his own blood with his mentor helpless beside him.

It wasn't until several hours later, when all the reports had come in, that the Justice League could confirm what had happened. The Young Justice team had been wiped out. Barry had been unable to catch his nephew and Wally had been ripped to pieces by the opposing forces of his speed. Kaldur had succumbed to what was later recognised as fatal dehydration when his body had somehow stopped absorbing water and after finally breaking into the Batcave, several members had been able to report Robins death and Batmans catatonic state. But it had been worse. A rouge group, calling themselves 'The Light' had claimed the attacks, as a message to the League.

The gathering members of the League had reacted violently to the message, swearing revenge where many had preached Justice. Although they didn't know it at the time, that was the moment the Justice League died, and from its ashes rose the Justice Lords.


	4. Chapter 4

_Six Months before the attack._

"So, what is it exactly?" Robin asked.

He was sitting on the corner of the desk, playing with his gloves as the computer next to him continued to analyse the data. Batman broke his gaze away from the screens for a moment to glance at his partner.

"Off the desk." He growled.

Robin grinned and jumped down, instead leaping into the back of Batmans chair. Under the cowl, Batman rolled his eyes and turned his chair, trying to disengage the teen hanging onto the back. Robin tightened his grip and laughed as Batman glared over his shoulder at him.

"Haven't you got a meeting to attend?" He asked pointedly.

Robin slid off the chair.

"It's not for another hour Bruce."

Batman glared at the boy a second time, but Dick had long since stopped fearing the looks and just grinned back. Realising he couldn't win, Batman turned back to the screen.

"It appears to be a signal, possibly a call for help. I am currently trying to track it to its point of origin."

Robin frowned slightly and peered at the screen.

"Doesn't look like it's from Earth, what are you going to do if it's off planet?"

"It doesn't matter. We still have a duty to try and help."

"All right, road trip!" Robin called.

Batman turned to find his protégé scaling the wall.

"Not you Robin. The Justice League."

"Awww!" Robin called leaping from his perch.

Batman watched as Robin threw out his jump line to slow his fall, landing neatly on the ground.

"Don't do that." He called when he was sure the teen was safely on the ground.

He turned back to his work.

"Besides, you have your own team now. I am sure they will need you while the League is away."

"I guess." Robin replied as he finally calmed down, walking over to the work station. "It's just… We don't patrol much together anymore. I kind of miss it."

Batman stood, looking down at the boy. Then, he placed a hand on Robins shoulder.

"I miss it too Dick."

The computer beeped. Both heroes turned to watch as the signal was tracked to its source.

"It's not off planet." Batman said.

He picked up his comm, ready to radio the rest of the League. Robin looked at the screen.

"It's not even that far from here." He said, trying to hide it as an innocent comment. But Batman was good at reading his partner.

"You are not coming."

Robin pulled a face but didn't argue.

"Go to your meeting Robin. I will see you tonight."

Robin turned away.

"That's if you make it home tonight." He muttered.

Batman pretended he didn't hear that comment as Robin made his way up the stairs to change and go. Glancing at the signal again, he switched his comm on. He would be the first to admit, he wasn't the world's greatest father, but he really hoped that maybe tonight, he wouldn't disappoint his partner.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_3 1/2 years into the future._

Batman could not believe how well the plan had worked. Playing on his knowledge of his collages younger selves and using a fake distress signal, he had pulled the heroes through time and into the perfect trap. Now with most of the Justice League captured and out of the way, there was nothing to stop the Lords from creating the perfect world for their children.

Fiddling with his calculations slightly, Batman found himself glancing over at the captive League. The whole group were unconscious, kept down by a mixture of sedative gases in their air tight prison.

Someone walked up behind him. Batman didn't even flinch as Wonder Woman placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I have to admit." She whispered in his ear. "I had given you up as insane Batman."

Batman glanced over at her. Her short dark hair and skin tight red body suit was a very different look from the Diana he had known three years ago. The kind, caring but tough woman had long since been replaced with this stone cold killer before him. If Batman were honest with himself, he would admit that he missed the old Diana, The Diana he had almost loved. Quickly he turned away.

"I hope you understand your role in this Diana." He replied, choosing to ignore her comment. "Not all of the League are accounted for. We will no doubt meet with resistance when we try to enforce our rule."

Diana smiled.

"Please Bruce. When have I not got the job done?" She ran her hand across his shoulder almost provocatively.

"Just try not to kill anyone." Batman growled back.

She gave him another smile before turning away to laugh at the Flash. Barry was jumpy, and unsurprisingly so. The attacks three years before had not just cost him his nephew but his whole family when his wife Iris had cut ties with her husband. Flash had been crushed but this new hope of regaining at least some of his family had put him back in his old high spirits and even Batman had to admit, it was a nice chance. The black and red speedster was bouncing off the walls of the cave, causing several of the Lords to watch him in wonder.

But most of them ignored him, too caught up in their silent preparations. And a few were glancing at the captured League. Maybe wondering how such a weak group could survive so long. Or more likely, thinking back to what they lost.

Batman finished his typing with a small sigh. Even he would admit it would be nice to have children around again. After the attacks, Superman had ordered all training for young heroes to cease. All the surviving sidekicks had been sent back to their homes and previous lives. Some had put up a fight, trying to create new groups but the Lords had shut them down.

Footsteps drew near to Batman once again. The Dark Knight turned to acknowledge Green Arrow. The Archer had finished his preparations and had been quietly waiting for the signal but it looked like he had finally lost patience.

"How long?" He asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"Still waiting on Superman." Batman replied.

Green Arrow snorted.

"Typical he would be late." He muttered.

"Who is late?" A voice asked.

Even Barry fell silent as everyone glanced up at the ceiling. Superman drifted to the ground, his black and white suit making his blue eyes glow in the dim.

"No one." Green Arrow muttered.

He may be impatience, but Ollie wasn't stupid. Superman smiled and turned to Batman.

"So, I guess you have already gone over the plan." He said.

Batman nodded.

"Yes. You will all need to work together to capture the Watch Tower. From there, you can track and capture the remaining members of the League."

"What about you?" This voice came from Black Canary, who had managed to bully the rest of the Lords into letting her join the mission.

"I will go to the Batcave. Years ago, I connected it to the Watch Tower as a failsafe. The moment the Watch Tower is taken, the Cave will be alerted. I would much rather none of my household find that alert."

"Yeah, we don't want the boy detective figuring us out." Barry called.

Everyone froze, their eyes glued on the Dark Knight. It was an unspoken rule that no one mentioned Robin in Batmans hearing. Even Superman took a step away from his friend.

Batman ignored the comment.

"Green Lantern has volunteered to stay behind and guard our guests. Although I trust my designs, I know my own mind and would not put it past my younger self to attempt an escape."

Everyone slowly relaxed, laughing slightly at Batmans paranoia.

"Alright then." Superman said, once again gaining control of the situation. "Let's do this."

With a grim smile, Batman flicked the switch, activating the tunnel through time.


	5. Chapter 5

_3 ½ years in the past_

It was a strange feeling, setting foot in the Batcave again. The knowledge that it was not his own was enough to make Batman feel alienated, a feeling he was not use to experiencing. And there were some things he hadn't seen for many years. The Gallery of confiscated evidence still stood proud. Batman had removed it once the Lords had been established. The new order hadn't needed trophies and with the rapid decline in villainous activity, the Gallery had become an unwanted reminder of the bad days.

Another new (or could you say old?) addition of the cave were the glass cases. Alfred had spent many years quietly bullying both Bruce and Dick until they began to automatically hang their suits up after every patrol.

Batman suppressed a smile at the memories as he walked past the cases. Several of his older suits were in their cases as a tribute to old battles. And then there was the empty one. It stood at the end of the line, waiting for the return of the latest suit. Batman looked away. He didn't want to think of his League counterpart. If he did, he was almost afraid he would start to think of what the other Batman was about to lose.

Turning, Batman noticed the flash of red. There was one more case. This time Batman didn't even fight the smile as he looked down at the Robin suit.

He had never kept it after the loss of the children. Even if it had been salvageable after the attack, Batman wouldn't have coped seeing it in the cave everyday. Instead he had found it a new resting place, buried in a box beside the graves of Mary and John Grayson.

And yet, it wasn't there but here, almost as new as the day Alfred first presented it to Dick, the boy beaming in pride as he saw the uniform for the first time. Batman found his hand moving towards the edge of the case. He stopped himself. He wasn't here to remember. He was here to do a job. And if he was very lucky, there was a child upstairs waiting for him.

Moving to the computer, Batman activated it and began to type in the codes, quickly disengaged the alarms connecting the computer to the outside world. His job complete, Batman now found himself torn between racing upstairs and hiding down in cave until the rest of the Lords reported back to him.

Walking over to one of the old work benches, Batman couldn't help but notice the clean pressed shirt and pants folded neatly underneath. Alfred must have left them, anticipating the other Batmans return. Picking up the clothes, Batman retreated into the shadows to change. Soon he returned, now dressed in Bruce Waynes clothes. Years of habit saw Batman place his suit, cape and cowl in the empty glass case before he walked over to the lift.

The mirror-like surface of the door caught his eye. He looked himself up and down in the reflection. Without the suit, he looked just like a tired Bruce Wayne. He looked his reflection in the eye. So use to seeing nothing in his own reflection but a broken shell, Batman was taken aback by those eyes. For the first time in almost three years, Batman saw himself, not as Batman, but as Bruce Wayne. For the first time in three years, Bruce Wayne lived.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wonder Woman glanced down at the planet from the viewing platform in the Watch Tower. The Tower had been surprisingly easy to take. The young heroes on duty hadn't believed the threat until the last moment and had fallen quickly in the fight. They had been carefully secured in the depths of the Tower where they could do no harm to themselves or the Lords plans. With its main players already imprisoned back in the Lords world, the Justice League was quick to fall. So fast had the takeover been, that Superman had ordered all the Lords with ties to the Young Justice to begin the second phase early.

Wonder Woman had watched as Superman, Flash, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman had all disappeared to secure their former protégés, their children. Black Canary had disappeared too. Her mission slightly different from the others. Red Tornado, the main guardian of Mount Justice was the one hero yet to be engaged by the Lords. It was Black Canarys job to get him away from the base and take him down before he could interfere. After all, he would not be a good influence on the children, given the Lords plan.

Wonder Woman started slightly as someone entered the room but didn't turn around as she recognised the reflection in the glass before her.

"How are we doing Hawkman?" she asked.

The reflection of the winged hero smiled.

"All members of the League are now in our control." He replied. Wonder Woman copied his smile with one of her own. Picking up her comm, she prepared herself to break the good news to the rest of the Lords.


	6. Chapter 6

_Recognise Martian Manhunter zero seven! Recognise Superman zero one!_

The two aliens walked through the Zeta Tube and into the silent main hall of Mount Justice. 

Black Canary had already taken down Red Tornado. According to her, the android had put up a good fight, declaring his fight not just for himself but for the children. None of the Lords wanted to guess how the android had figured out their intentions but it had been a relief to know that he was now under their control.

Control. It was something Superman was having trouble dealing with. Even as they walked through the silent hall, J'onn could feel Clark fighting with himself, trying to control his nerves.

"Relax my friend. You are seeing your child again." The Martian sent into his friends mind.

Superman turned and glared his companion.

"J'onn, we are here too soon. Conner doesn't even know me yet. He won't trust me."

J'onn turned towards the Man of Steel.

"You give the boy little credit my friend. I remember he always trusted you, even when you were less then trusting of him. Or yourself."

Clark sighed but didn't reply.

"Uncle J'onn!" a voice called.

Clark stood back and watched as the girl appeared, throwing herself into her guardians arms. The Krypton may not be telepathic like his Martian college, but even he could feel the overwhelming feeling of love radiating off the pair.

"M'gann. It is good to see you." J'onn replied.

The girl, known to most as Miss Martian, pulled away from the hug. Quickly she looked the two older heroes up and down, taking note of the new costumes.

"Ahhh, I like your new look." She finally said.

J'onn smiled.

"Come. I would like to talk with you." He said.

The two Martians turned to leave, stepping past the fourth figure. Hearing Megans shouts, Superboy had run into the room. He now stood silently by the door, trying to understand what was going on, his arms crossed over his chest.

Clark watched the boy watch the Martians leave before finally stepping forward.

"Have you got a few minutes?" he asked.

The young clone glared at him.

"Why?" he growled, suspicious.

Superman held up his hands, trying to signal his peaceful intentions.

"I just want to talk."

The boy relaxed slightly, but didn't stop glaring.

"I guess." He replied.

Turning, the younger hero quickly left the room. Superman sighed slightly but followed the boy out of the room. It would be tricky, but he was determined to win the boy over a second time.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a quiet night in Star City. Red Arrow, surprised by the lack of activity had called it a night early. Opening the window to his apartment, he quickly climbed through. The room was dark but Roy knew his way around by feel. However, he wasn't expecting someone else to be there.

"Hello Roy."

The archer jumped, his bow raised, arrow already slotted into place. The light flicked on, revealing the intruder sitting at the table. Ollie smiled. The smile didn't reach his eyes.

"I knew things were rough between us kid, but I don't think you would shoot me."

Roy slowly lowered his weapon.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, glaring at his former mentor.

Ollie smiled slightly and brushed some dust off his shirt. He had stumbled on a group of muggers while on his way to visit and his training as a Lord had kicked in. The men would never again prey on the innocent and Ollie hadn't felt bad helping himself to the criminals' clothes. After all, he was here as Oliver Queen, not Green Arrow.

Standing up, Ollie couldn't help but look his former partner up and down.

"I just came here to talk to you."

Roy snorted at that.

"Sure, now you want to talk." He muttered.

Ollie sighed, wondering how the others were doing.

"Roy, please. Just hear me out." He didn't want to beg the boy, but he hadn't seen Roy alive in years. The urge to just grab the teenager and pull him into a hug was strong. 

Roy looked at his former mentor again. He shrugged and dropped his bow and quiver to the ground. Then he reached up to his face and pulled his mask off, throwing it to the side.

"I guess I've got time." He said, throwing himself into a chair.

Ollie smiled.

"Good. I am glad you do."


	7. Chapter 7

Kaldur swam through the gloom in the outskirts of Atlantis. The King had been gone on League business, Garth and Tula were off completing some sort of test for Queen Mera and the city was quiet. The quiet left the young Atlantean with a lot of time to think as he swam.

The Young Justice was becoming more of a team every day. His team mates were learning to work together, how to handle each other's strengths and weaknesses. Although he rarely said it aloud, he was very proud of his team, and he knew the Justice League were proud too. His team represented the future for all young heroes and Kaldur had no doubts that one day, they would all be leading members of the League.

So lost in his thoughts, Kaldur didn't even notice he was being followed until the hand was gripping his shoulder. Automatically, he lashed out, the intended punch stopping only inches from the face of his mentor. Kaldur gasped in horror.

"Apologies my king. I did not realise it was you."

Next to him, Aquaman smiled, a little forcefully.

"It is quite alright Kaldur'ahm. Although I do suggest that next time you take better care watching your surroundings."

Aqualad lowered his head in guilt over his actions.

"Tell me Kaldur'ahm. You trust me, don't you?" Aquaman asked in the quiet that followed.

Kaldur looked at his elder in surprise. Not just at the question, but at the flat tone which his King used when asking. It was almost like the older hero was sad.

"Of course I do my king. I don't understand. Have I done anything to make you question me?"

Aquaman shook his head.

"No, no. I just need to know I have your loyalty." He replied.

"You do my king." Kaldur said.

"Good, good. I need you to come with me Kaldur'ahm."

Kaldur looked at him.

"Come where my king." The younger hero asked.

"To Mount Justice. There is something we need to say. And something you and your team need to hear."

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Wally sat on his bed, several of his favorite books surrounding him as he worked. Robin had brought up molecule vibration in the meeting again and Wally was determined to prove once and for all to the Boy Wonder that he could vibrate through solid objects. A box of tissues and a bin full of bloodied paper were testaments to his efforts.

There was a knock at his door.

"Wally, it's a school night! Lights out!" The voice called.

Wally sighed and put his book down.

"Mom, I'm doing my homework." He replied.

It was a fail-safe answer. Despite their strict bed by ten rule, the Wests were too academic driven to fight the homework excuse. Under his breath, Wally started to count.

He reached five before he heard his mother sigh.

"Ok sweetie, just try and be in bed before midnight."

Wally glanced at his alarm clock. 11:42. He rolled his eyes.

"Sure thing mom." He replied.

He waited for the two minutes his mom usually took to make up her mind before she gave up and headed to bed. Once her footsteps disappeared down the stairs, the speedster sighed. His hand started to vibrate. Picking up one of the books, he placed his hand against it.

Slowly, slowly, his hands started to pass through the paper. There was a snap. Wally yelped and pulled his hand away, his nose already dripping. Quickly he grabbed a tissue and mopped up the mess. There was a laugh from behind him.

Wally jumped, almost falling off the bed. A pair of hands reached out and caught him, stopping him from hitting the ground. He looked up at the face above him and grinned.

"Uncle Barry." He called.

The Flash returned his grin.

"Hi kiddo." He replied.

Carefully, The Flash lowered his nephew to the floor. Wally, suddenly too highly strung, laughed and jumped to his feet, using his speed to wrap his arms around his uncle before jumping away again. Even at super speed, Barry could see his nephews every move as the younger speedster quickly examined him.

"Hey, nice new look." Wally said, his voice speeding up in his excitement.

Barry grinned and glanced down at his black and red uniform. Of course Wally wouldn't have seen it before. Black was not a colour The Flash had ever worn.

"Yeah, just trying it out." The Flash replied. He couldn't help but notice that in all the excitement, his own voice was speeding up. He forced himself to calm down and look around Wallys small room. The piles of books on the bed caught his eye. He grinned again.

"So, I couldn't help but notice you trying molecule vibration again."

Wally glanced at the mess.

"Oops." He muttered. In a matter of seconds, the books were gone from the bed, replaced on their shelves. Clothes were picked up off the floor and quickly hidden away. Even the bed was neatly made. Barry laughed again at his nephews behaviour.

"Seriously, let the master show you how it's done." He said.

Wally paused as he digested this bit of information. If it were possible, his smile grew larger.

"Really?" he asked, almost bouncing with excitement. Barry nodded.

"Yeah, just get dresses and we..." he trailed off as the boy disappeared into his closet, appearing only seconds later already in his yellow and red costume. The Flash grinned again.

"Ok kid, let's go."

Wally hesitated.

"Where?" the boy asked.

Barry followed his nephews example and hesitated for a few seconds. The Lords were waiting for themat the Mountain but he was a speedster after all, and he really wanted to see his wife again. Quickly, he made up his mind.

"My house. We can drop in and say hello to your aunt Iris. And then I bet I can beat you to Mount Justice."

The younger hero laughed. Without hesitation, he was speeding past his uncle and catapulting himself out of his bedroom window. The Flash shook his head as he followed his nephew to the window, laughing softly at the younger speedsters antics. For the first time in three years, there was someone who could keep up with the fastest human ever.


	8. Chapter 8

Artemis walked slowly through the gloom. The meeting at Mount Justice had only been her first stop for a full night of socialising. The move to Gotham Academy had been difficult and Artemis had made very few friends during her first weeks. In fact, if it hadn't been for little Dick Grayson, a boy two years younger than her, she didn't think she could have survived that first month. But like her mother often said, she just had to keep trying. That was why, when one of her classmates had asked her out on a date, she had decided to accept. What had followed had been one of the most boring nights she had ever had.

Dinner had been cheap and awkward, which had been a surprise since her date was the son of one of the wealthier of Gothams social climbers, and the movie had been possibly the worst film ever made. And to top it all off, her date hadn't even offered her a lift home.

So Artemis had found herself walking through the dank back streets at close to midnight. And being Gotham, Artemis already knew she was being followed.

Cursing slightly Artemis reached for her pocket. After begin offered a room at Mount Justice, she had taken to leaving her weapons and costume there rather than drag it to and from the apartment she and her mother shared. This had meant she had needed a whole new arsenal for those times she was caught out without defences. Rummaging in her pocket for a moment, she finally managed to grip the taser she kept hidden there.

Quickly she glanced up at the sky. Even from here, the flood light was visible, the Bat in the sky. It had long since been rumoured that Commissioner Gordon liked to put the light on as a warning to all criminals, even when the Batman wasn't active. Artemis just hoped that he was patrolling tonight.

Glancing quickly behind her, Artemis saw her stalkers. Three men were on her tail. They were trying grubby street types, probably in a gang of some sort. Artemis forced herself to stop and turn. The men stopped. One of them laughed.

"Alright sweetheart, having a good night are ya?" the laughing one called.

"I was. Until you drop outs appeared." Artemis replied.

All three men were laughing this time as they stepped closer. Artemis gripped the taser, ready to use it the moment one of them got close enough. There was a soft sound, like string snapping. Artemis froze, knowing that sound.

An arrow raced through the air, landing between the girl and the men. The men looked at it in confusion. Artemis ducked.

The arrow exploded, knocking the men to the ground and filling the street with smoke. Artemis felt a hand on her shoulder as she tried to stand up. She turned, ready to lash out.

"Artemis." A voice said. A voice she recognised. She looked up at Green Arrow as the hero pulled her to her feet.

"Come with me."

The female archer didn't protest as her saviour led her around the corner and to a fire escape. Back in the street, someone started to shout. Quickly, he indicated for her to climb.

Artemis followed the fire escape up until she reached the roof. She paused to gain her breath and looked up. There was someone standing on the edge of the roof, a bow in hand. Behind her, Green Arrow pulled himself over the edge and onto the roof.

"Nice shot Roy." He called.

The figure stepped closer and Artemis finally recognised him. Red Arrow quickly hung his bow over his shoulder.

"You said you wanted to talk. Not that we were coming here to save her." He muttered, sounding angry.

"Not that I needed saving." Artemis shot back at him. She turned to the older of the heroes currently standing on the roof.

"I had that under control."

Green Arrow shrugged.

"I am not sure a taser could scare away a criminal from Gotham." He replied. "But that's not the reason why I have you both here. I need you both to come to Mount Justice with me. There is something going on and the Young Justice needs to hear it."

Roy turned to him.

"In case you don't remember, I am not a member of the Bats little covert team. That's her job." He pointed a finger at Artemis accusingly.

Feeling annoyed, Artemis poked her tongue out at him. She quickly realised what she had done and covered her mouth with her hands but Roy smirked anyway, knowing he had gotten to her.

Green Arrow sighed.

"This still concerns you Roy. You are coming." He glanced at both his partners. "Both of you."

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Batman stepped through the secret door into the study. The room was dark and yet, there was a feeling in the air. A feeling Batman had long since forgotten. A feeling of use, of life. Someone cleared their throat. Batman turned towards the door and the intruder. He relaxed.

"Alfred!" he called.

The butler stepped into the room.

"My apologies Master Bruce. Had I known you were in, I would have brought down dinner."

Batman couldn't stop smiling. He hadn't seen Alfred for years. The Englishman had resigned in protest against the Justice Lords shortly after Dick had been murdered and hadn't appeared again until almost a year later. His friend and former guardian had joined a rebel group against the Lords, which Superman had discovered. Alfred had been executed, along with several others as an example. It had almost killed Batman for the second time to see someone so loyal to him turn on him and his friends. But here Alfred was. Still loyal and still a friend.

"Master Bruce?" the butler asked.

Batman shook himself out of his musings.

"I'm sorry Alfred." He replied.

The Englishman shook his head.

"I was just asking if you would like dinner served now."

Batman smiled again.

"No thank you Alfred."

The butler nodded and turned to leave.

"Alfred? Is Dick home?"

The older man looked at him.

"Yes sir. I served Master Dick his dinner an hour ago, and I believe he is now finishing his homework in his room."

Batman nodded.

"Would you like me to clear in the cave tonight sir?" Alfred asked trying to decide what was different about his charge tonight.

Batman quickly shook his head. Alfred was not a detective, but he had a hand in almost all of the Batman suits. It would not be good for him to stumble on Batmans current suit.

Alfred nodded once again.

"Very good sir. I shall retire for the night."

Batman nodded, trying to suppress his smile.

"Good night Alfred."

The butler turned and left. Once again, Batman glanced around the room. There was a small flashing light on his desk. A small clock Dick had given him after complaining jokingly that the grandfather clock didn't work. The time was almost midnight. If Dick had only gotten in an hour ago, it was likely he had gone on patrol again without permission. Normally, it was something that would get the boy in trouble, but Batman was just happy for this little reminder of Dick's nature.

And now it was time to see the boy. Leaving the room, Batman quickly walked through the maze that was Wayne Manor until he had reached the door. It had been left open and light was spilling out into the hall. Stepping around the door, Batman entered the room. He smiled.

Dick was sitting at his desk, his head resting on an open book. He had clearly nodded off to sleep in the middle of his homework. Dick's sleeping pattern had always been something of a mystery to Batman. The boy could stay awake for up to three days in a row when needed, but could also fall asleep almost on command.

Walking over to the desk, Batman quickly glanced at the book. Dick was a straight A student, even with his bizarre after school activities and it showed. Alfred had often commented that Dick could have been a child genius if he were allowed the correct amount of sleep. Dick had immediately argued with this statement, asking what the point of being a genius was if he couldn't help people. Batman had decided to stay out of that argument.

Slowly, Batman reached down and placed a hand on Dick's shoulder, giving him a gentle shake. The boy groaned, slowly waking up.

"Bruce?" The boy asked, trying to hide his eyes from the light.

"Hey Dick" Batman replied. "All finished here?"

The teen nodded and yawned. Batman couldn't remember smiling so much in one day as he watched Dick try to hide his face in the curve of his arms.

"Ok chum. Time for bed." He said, reaching for the boy.

Dick was still sleepy and unable to co-ordinate his own arms, so he wasn't able to fight when Batman picked him up, carrying him over to his bed. However, getting him to let go was a different story. Dick had locked his arms around his adopted father's neck and was refusing to let go. Batman gave a small laugh as he tried and failed to detangle himself from his wards iron grip before giving up and lying down on the bed, the boy still clinging to him.

"You don't have to go out tonight." Dick muttered.

Batman ran a hand through Dick's dark hair.

"I know buddy. Looks like Robin covered everything."

Dick nodded against Batman's shoulder.

"What did you do tonight?" he asked as he made himself comfortable lying against Batman's chest.

Batman's smile faded. He didn't want to lie to Dick, but refusing to answer would just make the boy suspicious. He didn't need Dick finding out the truth before he managed to get the younger hero to Mount Justice. Quickly, the detective thought of an answer.

"Well, tonight the League went to another reality. One that was not that different from this one."

Dick appeared to think about this.

"Was there another Justice League?" he finally asked.

Batman nodded.

"There was. They were different from us. They had something we didn't." Batman glanced down at the sleepy boy, who was looking at him with big blue eyes. He was glad to see there was no suspicion in those eyes.

"What?" Dick asked, closing his eyes again.

"Nothing much." Batman replied, watching as the boy slowly lost the fight with sleep. "And don't worry. We have it now."

"Ok." The boy muttered, barely above a whisper.

He smiled as Dick relaxed his grip. Climbing off the bed, Batman gently kissed Dick's forehead before turning to the desk. He switched the light off and slowly walked to the door, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark.

"Good night Dick." He said to the quiet room.

Closing the door behind him, Batman headed back down to the cave. He needed to contact the Lords, to begin the next part of the plan.

Unknown to him, back in the bedroom Dick Grayson sat up, staring hard at the door. He may have just woken up, but he was not an idiot. Something was very wrong, and the young detective was determined to find out what.


	9. Chapter 9

"Batman!"

The Dark Knight stopped his pacing as the screen flickered to life, showing Wonder Woman in all her glory. The shirt and pants he had worn upstairs were safely hidden away and he was once again in his costume. Once again he was Batman and there was no threat of Bruce Wayne appearing.

"What is it Diana?" he asked, glaring her for interrupting him.

"Superman has ordered a push ahead for phase two." She replied.

Batman paused. Phase two. That meant they were going to transport the kids soon. Soon, Dick and all the others would be in their new, safer homes. But there was still a problem.

"No, we are ahead of schedule. We don't go to phase two until tomorrow." He growled.

On the screen Wonder Woman shrugged.

"Too late. Superman has already given the order. Everyone is already in the process of collecting the members of Young Justice."

"Why?" Batman asked. He knew he couldn't intimidate Diana like he could some of the other Lords, but they were not the ones messing with his plans at that very moment.

"Some of the captured League are started to fight back. J'onn is worried that the prisoners back in our universe may shortly attempt the same. Kal has ordered the plan to be sped up." She paused, meeting Batmans stare. "You need to be onboard with this Bruce. We won't be able to go home unless you are with us."

Batman slowly nodded.

"Understood. I will bring Robin in." He said.

He turned the screen off, severing the link. Something flew past his hand, embedding itself in the control panel. It was a red batarang. Quickly Batman turned. Dick was standing by the lift. He was dressed in jeans and a green shirt, his utility belt wrapped around his waist, a second batarang in his hands.

"Who are you?" Dick demanded, anger clear in his voice.

Batman sighed and turned to face the boy, mentally cursing. Not for the first time, he had underestimated his ward. Carefully, he studied the teenager.

Batmans lack of answer was getting to Dick. The boy had become suspicious after his guardian failed to react to his solo patrol and had faked sleep, hoping to find out what was going on. He had then taken the emergency stairs down into the cave and silently listened to the conversation, confirming his belief that this man was an imposter and his adopted father was in trouble. The imposters silence was now enough for Dick to want to lash out.

"I said, who are you? What have you done with Batman?" he shouted.

The imposter flinched.

"Dick, I promise to explain everything. But you need to come to Mount Justice with me." Batman said, keeping his voice soft, trying not to frighten the boy in front of him as he stepped closer.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Dick shouted back.

With skills gained through years of training, the boy threw the second batarang. Batman jumped out of the way but it was those few seconds which gave Dick the advantage. The teen hero turned and ran towards the lift, determined to get out of the cave and contact someone, anyone who could help him.

But Batman wasn't fooled for long. He landed, throwing out a line. The line wrapped around the boys legs, tripping him up. Quickly, Batman started to pull the line in, dragging the struggling boy away from the lift.

Dick reached for his belt, looking for something, anything he could use to fight back against the imposter. His hand wrapped around another batarang which was quickly hurled at the figure before him. Batman caught the batarang and sighed as he pulled the boy closer with another tug on the line. He needed to keep Dick under control and there was only one way left to do it. He reached for his belt and pulled out several tiny projectiles. He threw them towards the boy, watching as Dick tried to roll away from the now smoking devices. With a quick tug on the line, he managed to pull Dick back towards the smoke capsules. The boy stopped fighting as he began to cough, trying to expel the knock-out gas from his lungs. Batman watched as the boy frantically searched his belt, trying to find his re-breather. But it was too little, too late. In a matter of seconds, Dick was unconscious.

Batman watched as the gas cleared before stepping forward and looking down at his now sleeping ward. He didn't know why but he didn't feel as happy as he had expected. The Dark Knight reached down and untangled the line before picking the teen up, holding him safely against his chest.

Happiness could wait. He had a job to do.

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_Three and a half years in the future._

Batman glanced around at the rest of the Justice League. His friends and fellow heroes were in the corner of the cave, slowly regaining consciousness after their brush with their future selves. In another corner, the Justice Lord Green Lantern was tied up, his ring already safely hidden. The Justice Lords had made several mistakes when dealing with their Justice League counterparts; mainly they hadn't secured Batman before gassing the prison. Subsequently, the League member had managed to put on his re-breather and had lain with his friends, faking unconsciousness as he had listened in to the Lords plan.

The moment the Lords had disappeared, Batman had sprung into action, breaking out of the prison and confronting their guard. Taking Green Lantern by surprise, he had quickly overpowered the former hero. Now he was working at his older counterpart's computer, trying to recreate the link.

"Batman, what is going on?" A voice asked behind him. "I remember following the signal and then getting floored by another Flash."

Batman turned to where the Flash stood, his speedy healing factor helping him shake off the drugs.

"We walked into a trap." Batman growled.

The Flash nodded, not able to focus enough to continue the conversation. Superman stepped closer.

"What do you think they wanted?" he asked.

Batman didn't turn from his work. Instead, he pointed at the tied up Green Lantern.

"Ask out friend."

"What the…." The Leagues Green Lantern said, staring at his older counterpart.

The rest of the heroes ignored him as Superman walked towards the prisoner.

"What is going on? We were on a mission of mercy. Why did you attack us?" The Man of Steel asked.

The other Green Lantern laughed.

"Mercy? Is that really what we use to fight for?"

The League watched silently as the Lord Green Lantern continued to laugh.

"Why show mercy? Our enemies didn't show us any mercy. They didn't show the kids any mercy."

The laughter subsided until the cave was silent, save for Batman typing at the computer. Finally, Green Arrow broke the silence.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Green Lantern grinned.

"The League was weak, and you failed. The Lords will not make the same mistake you are destined to make."

"What mistake?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Six months in the future from our time, a terrorist organisation known as the Light will launch a series of attacks against the Young Justice team. All our children will be murdered."

Even the Lord Green Lantern stared at Batman as he talked, shocked at the detective's knowledge. Batman noticed the looks he was getting.

"It's on the computer." He finished.

Ignoring the looks, he quickly got back to work.

"So the Lords have gone back to our time to stop it right?" The Flash asked.

"No." Martian Manhunter said. Even Batman stopped to watch the Martian as he searched through the captive Lords mind. "It appears that the Lords of this period have working to create a 'perfect' world. He is attempting to block me, but it appears to have something to do with our children."

The Lord glared at the Martian. Clearly, the alien had said something the Lantern Corp member didn't like.

"Your children? They are not your children. You can't even protect them. No, they are our children. We are simply reclaiming them."

Suddenly it was clear what was going on. Silent horror filled the room.

"Bats?" Flash finally asked. "Please tell us you can stop this."


	10. Chapter 10

M'gann sat silently in the entertainment room, ignoring everything around her as she thought of recent events. Her talk with her uncle J'onn had seemed normal at the time, but the young martian had noticed a strange distance about him, a sadness that seemed to follow him. It was worrying.

She glanced over at Superboy. The clone was sitting on the end of the couch, his eyes glued on Superman as the older hero moved around the room. M'gann didn't know what had been said between her friend and the Man of Steel, but it must have been good for the younger man. Although M'gann had promised not to look inside her friends mind, Superboy or Conner as he had demanded he now be called, seemed happier the ever.

'M'gann?' a voice called in her mind.

M'gann turned to look at Kaldur. The Atlantian was watching his team, a thoughtful look on his face.

'Yes Kaldur?' she replied, meeting his eyes.

'Have you noticed anything …odd about the Justice League?' He asked, nodding slightly towards the older heroes who were converging in the kitchen. It seemed like the group were in some sort of mental discussion, but every time Megan tried to break into the conversation, her uncle blocked her.

'You mean the new costumes?' This though came from Artemis. The young archer was restringing her bow and to the untrained eye, appeared to be ignoring her surroundings.

'That is one of the things I have noticed.' Kaldur replied.

'But the new costumes are awesome!' Wally said. He was the only active person in the room, jumping from one end of the room to the other.

Several times, the Young Justice had noticed one of the League members watching the Kid Flash, often smiling and even laughing at the speedsters antics like they couldn't believe he was really doing them.

'No, there is something else going on here' Kaldur replied, watching as the Flash laughed, his eyes fixed on his nephew.

'Conner, what do you think?' M'gann asked.

Superboy finally looked away from his new hero to glare at the martian.

'I told you. Stay out of my head!'

Everyone winched.

'Superboy…' The Krypton glared. 'Conner, something isn't right here. We need to know you are with us.'

'I'm with you. Just stay out of my head!' Conner replied.

There was a mental laugh.

'Great team work.' Red Arrow muttered through the link. M'gann had always made an effort to include Roy in the link but this was the first time he had ever used it. Kaldur jumped at the opportunity.

'Red Arrow, what do you think?'

Roy shrugged and appeared to study one of his arrows.

'Something is going on and I intend to find out what.' He replied.

'It is strange' M'gann butted into the conversation. 'I look at them all and I feel great sadness. It's like they have lost someone.'

There was mental silence as the young heroes contemplated this turn of events. With a sigh, Wally threw himself onto one of the couches.

'Maybe they are just sad they don't get to see us too often.' He said. 'Let's just wait until Robin gets here and then ask.'

Artemis nodded.

'For once, he has a good idea. Robin's a detective. He would know what's going on.'

Kaldur sat back.

'It's agreed. We wait for Robin.'

Everyone nodded except M'gann, who was staring at the League.

'They are so sad.' She thought to herself.

\-------------------------------------------------------

_Recognise Batman zero two, Recognise Robin B zero one!_ The security system stated as it opened the Zeta Tube.

Robin stumbled slightly as the hand on his shoulder pushed him forward and off the platform. He felt off balance and light headed, the drug still affecting his system. He had come around only minutes before in the back seat of the batmobile. While he was asleep, Batman had dressed him in his costume and tied his hands behind his back, taking away his gloves and belt. Those accessories were now hanging from Batmans own belt, an impossible target, even if Robin didn't have his hands tied.

Batman had gently guided Robin through the well hidden Zeta Tube in Gotham and into the Main Hall of Mount Justice, their footsteps echoing as they walked. Robin kept his head down, a mixture of dizziness and shame stopping him from struggling against his captors iron grip. He had been caught. And for someone with his training, that was defiantly a disaster. Heavy on the dis.

There was a small laugh and the sound of footsteps which drew Robin's attention away from his self-pity. He glanced up as the hand on his shoulder pulled him backwards slightly, indicating for him to stop. Black Canary was walking towards them, a smile on her face despite the nasty cuts and bruises.

"So, here is our little renegade." She said as she stopped in front of them.

The pair eyed her carefully.

"I take it Red Tornado gave you some trouble." Batman said from his position behind Robin.

"And Black Canary. I have never had the honour of fighting myself before. It was certainly an experience." She replied as she stepped forward, handing something to Batman. Robin recognised it. It was a Wayne Tech grade EMP or Electro Magnetic Pulse. A device designed to disrupt all electrical systems with a powerful energy surge. Robin felt sick. He didn't want to think about what a device like that would do to someone like Red Tornado.

"Are they ok?" he asked before silently reprimanding himself. He had promised himself he wouldn't react to anything these imposters said or did.

Black Canary smiled at him. It was a surprisingly nice smile.

"They are fine. I promise." She said. "But back to you Robin. It seems I have to thank you."

"Why?" Robin asked before again reprimanding himself. This wasn't his training instructor standing before him. He needed to remember that.

"You just won a bet for me kid."

Behind Robin, Batman growled.

"You have been placing bets on my son?" he asked, sounding dangerous.

Robin opened his mouth to protest that he wasn't this man's son. He wasn't even the real Batman's son. But Black Canary spoke first.

"Batman, you should be proud. The bet was who of the Young Justice could figure us out first. I just knew Robin was clever enough to do it."

Batman glared but Black Canary ignored him, smiling down at the captured Boy Wonder.

"Glad you could profit from this." Robin muttered, trying to do his best batglare.

Black Canary laughed at the twin glares from both Bats.

"You will warm up to me when we start training again."

The hand on his shoulder pushed Robin forward again. Black Canary fell into step with the pair, walking next to Batman as the group ventured deeper into the secret base. Robin quickly re-assessed his situation. Now with two Lords watching him, he was fast running out of options. He couldn't fight. He couldn't run. But maybe his friends weren't as trapped as him.

The group arrived at the door to the kitchen and entertainment room. Behind Robin, the two older heroes nodded and pushed the door open. The Young Justice team were seated quietly, watching as the three heroes entered. Robin felt the slight buzz as M'gann mentally linked with him. He didn't wait for any of them to speak, instead forcing out the message that might just save his friends.

'The League are fakes. It's a trap. Run!'

The team froze for a second as they processed Robin's comment.

Then, all hell broke loose.


	11. Chapter 11

Wally was the first to react to Robin's comment, his speed giving him lightning fast reflexes. In a matter of seconds, he was on his feet and running towards the door and a quick escape. However, the Lords had already heard of Robin's rebellion against Batman and had been waiting, guessing the kid would try to warn his friends.

Kid Flash made it a few feet before he slammed into Superman, the Man of Steel quickly placing himself between the group and escape. Wally was knocked backward from the impact, falling to the ground with a shout.

Roy and Artemis jumped to their feet and both raised their bows, ready to release a deadly attack on Superman. Their bows disappeared. Skidding to a haul, the Flash returned to his spot, holding up the offending weapons. He grinned at the two.

"Thanks kids." He said.

A blue substance wrapped itself around the bows. Flash glanced over at Kaldur, who had activated one of his Hard Water Bearers into a whip like weapon. A batarang flew through the air, striking Kaldur's hand. Wincing in pain, Kaldur was unable to keep a hold on his weapon as Aquaman grabbed the bows from the speedster, pulling hard on them. Letting go, Kaldur reached for his other weapon.

Superboy, having witnessed his mentor knock his friend to the ground, had jumped to his feet. Now he stood in front of the Man of Steel, silently challenging the other Kryptonian as behind him, Wally groaned.

Robin felt Batman let go of him the moment the Dark Knight attempted to disarm Aqualad. Taking the moments advantage, he turned and attempted to kick his imposter mentor in the chest. Invisible hands grabbed his cape. Robin, his hands still tied behind his back, overbalanced and fell to the ground. He looked up in time to see Martian Manhunter shift out of camouflage. The martian paused for a second, glancing at him before reaching up and grabbing at something. There was a scream of surprise as M'gann appeared. Clearly the girl had tried to sneak around her uncle to help her friend.

Aqualad had managed to grab his second weapon and jumped backwards, landing next to Artemis and Roy, the three immediately moving into a fighting stance.

The Lords stepped backwards, all of them suddenly placing their hands over their ears.

There was a scream. The younger heroes groaned as the sound rose in pitch. One by one, they dropped to the ground, over powered by the agonising sound.

The scream stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving the teenagers in a shaking pile on the floor. From her corner of the room, Black Canary regained her breath, glaring at the younger heroes.

Quickly, the Lords got to work, picking their fallen children off the ground and sitting them down on the couches while the younger heroes were too dazed to fight back. Once everyone was seated, the Lords carefully arranged themselves, preparing for any possible actions the younger heroes could take.

"I believe we owe you all the truth." Superman said. "As to why we are here and what we are planning to do."

\--------------------------

"So, you aren't the Justice League?" Wally asked, rubbing his head as the bruising slowly faded. Hitting the Man of Steel was like hitting a mountain. There was just no way to move him.

"We are. Just a League three years into the future." Black Canary replied, smiling at the younger speedster. She had chosen to seat herself with the younger heroes, rather than stand with the rest of the Lords while the Lords explained themselves.

There was a certain pride to the Lords words as they described their world and all they had done for it. But the Young Justice Team listened in silent horror. They had been raised by heroes and it was very hard to process this new form of heroism. If it could even be counted as heroism at all.

The young heroes were frozen in place. Well, almost all of them. In their stunned state, both from the fight and the Lords confession, none of the Young Justice had noticed their youngest team member's predicament.

While the Lords continued to talk, Robin was slowly attempting to escape from his bonds. The young detective had managed to arch his back and bring his tied hands down past his lower back until he was almost sitting on the knots. Then, with skills more common with contortionists, he pushed his knees up to his chest, compressing them until he had enough room to thread his bound hands under his legs. His shoulders cracked under the strain but Robin ignored them as he inched his hands out from under him. Finally, he succeeded. With a small sigh, he relaxed, letting himself sit back before he looked down and studied the knot.

Batman was an expert at rope tying and had taught Robin all his tricks for securing criminals as well as how to escape them. Because of that training, the Boy Wonder was capable of getting out of almost any form of bondage. But this one was new. Robin stared at the knot, unsure how he was going to escape without his belt. He didn't realise he was being watched.

"Awww man! You were tied up the whole time?" Wally asked suddenly, interrupting Superman's speech. The room fell silent as everyone trained their eyes suddenly on the Boy Wonder. Robin glared at Kid Flash.

There was what sounded like a sigh as a pair of black gloved hands suddenly covered Robin's hands, pulling them away from the teens chest. The young hero glanced up at Batman as the Dark Knight got to work, unthreading the knots and untying his ward. Then suddenly, Robin was free. Quickly the boy pulled away from the Lord, rubbing his wrists as he pushed his back up against the hard backing of the seat. The ropes had been rough and Robin's continued struggle had caused many cuts which his gloves would normally protect him from.

Turning his body away from the older hero, Robin continued his new strategy, ignoring the man who had taken his mentor away.

Batman seemed to accept Robin's latest attempt at rebelling, instead choosing to place a small first aid kit next to the boy before backing off, returning to stand next to Superman.

The rest of the heroes, realising that the show was over, turned back to the conversation.

"You still haven't answered. Why did you do all of this? Why did you change the world?" Artemis asked. She was sitting next to Roy, Green Arrow standing behind the two, a hand on each of their shoulders. Without their weapons, they looked trapped.

"A series of incidents forced us to re-evaluate our strategies regarding crime fighting." It was Aquaman who replied. Quickly, he glanced at his protégé. Kaldur was sitting in the corner, staring at a wall as he thought. Although the Lords Aquaman wasn't his king, the older Atlantian was still higher ranked then himself and as such, Kaldur was bound to follow his orders. The younger hero was now thinking hard, trying to find a loop hole through Aquaman's latest orders.

"We are all dead, aren't we?" Kaldur turned to glance at Robin as the boy voiced the question. The youngest member of the team had finally given in and opened the first aid kit, using it to clean his injuries.

"Yes. In approximately half a year, you are all going to be separated and murdered by a terrorist organisation known as 'The Light'" Batman replied. He was watching Robin as he spoke. Although his face was covered by the cowl, it almost looked like a look of concern was on his face.

"How exactly?" Even as she spoke, Artemis became aware that she had gained the entire rooms attention. "What? If we don't know how it happened, how can we stop it happening?"

"That is a good point." Kaldur pointed out.

The Lords threw each other glances. It had been planned from the beginning that the Young Justice would not have to face the Light but they had already promised both themselves and the Young Justice the truth.

"The Light has been watching you all for a long time. They have been learning your strengths and weaknesses, learning where you are safest and where you are in danger. They are training agents especially to target a certain member and they are working with our own enemies to do it." Martian Manhunter broke his silence, glancing at Superman.

The Man of Steel had tensed at the last comment, remembering how he had followed the trail left from Conner's death all the way back to Lex Luthor, the very man who had supplied the Kryptonite and advised the Light in how best to destroy the young clone.

And he wasn't the only one who had found an enemy behind their child's death. Both Aquaman and Batman had discovered their children's murderers from among their very own rogue galleries. Bane had quickly claimed the death of Robin as his own handy work while Black Manta had destroyed his own son to get back at the King of Atlantis.

Artemis, like Kaldur a child of the enemy, had also fallen by her father's hands, the Sportsmaster killing both his wife and child on the Lights orders.

But Wally, M'gann and Roy couldn't claim such ties to their murderers. Wally's attack and subsequent death had been revenge handed out by the Witch Boy, Klarion who had not forgiven the young speedster for preventing his plans for the helmet of Dr Fate. Roy had fallen by a sabotaged arrow, created and planted by the League of Shadows operative Cheshire. And the notorious Psimon, angered at his defeat by Miss Martian, had been given access to Cadmus and, using the Genomorphs to increase his telepathic abilities, had taken control of the young martians mind, forcing her to meet her own death.

These facts were quickly revealed to the stunned Young Justice team who sat in silence once more.

"Wow! Rob, I knew Bane wanted to end you in Santa Prisca but seriously?" Wally commented, looking over at Robin. The looks from the rest of his team made him re-assess his comment. "Ok, shutting up now."

"So what is your plan? Stay here and take out the Light because clearly, we aren't good enough to do it ourselves?" Roy asked. He had risen to his feet, his usual defiant streak showing as he glared through his mask.

Green Arrow grabbed the younger hero by his shoulder, pushing him back down.

"Roy, sit down!" he barked, leaving no room for his former ward to argue.

Batman stepped forward.

"No. Our plan is to remove you all to a safer place."

"Where?" M'gann asked. She was looking around, trying to read her surroundings but he uncle was blocking her at every turn.

"Our world should prove safe enough for your continued survival." The Manhunter replied.

There was a small crash as Robin jumped to his feet, knocking the first aid kit to the ground.

"That's kidnapping!" he cried. "You can't do that!"

"Robin! Sit down!"

None of the Young Justice had ever heard Batman raise his voice before. Their first reaction was to cower away. But Robin was either use to it or on a suicidal streak and continued to stand his ground.

"No!" He shouted back. Batman glared.

The rest of the Lords exchanged look. Although rare, Batman and Robin's shouting matches were well known and feared. Usually, Batman was able to keep a level head and calm Robin down but it looked like the Dark Knight was on his last nerve. The Lord moved forward suddenly to stand in front of Robin, forcing the younger hero to step backwards.

Sensing the possible danger, Superman moved forward, placing a hand on Batman's shoulder. The Dark Knight tensed for a moment before relaxing slightly, well aware that the other Lords were watching him.

Once he was sure Batman wasn't going to lash out, Superman turned to Robin.

"You don't have a say in this Robin." He replied in a cold voice.

For the first time in Superman's memory, the boy looked afraid.

"Since it is going to take a while to get everything ready, I suggest the kids go to bed." He said allowed, his eyes still fixed on the Boy Wonder. There was movement to the side. Red Arrow had stood up to protest, clearly encouraged by Robin's show of defiance.

Superman turned suddenly. Roy froze, his mouth open, ready to speak. Slowly, the young archer sat back down.

Superman relaxed before walking over to Conner, pulling the silent hero to his feet. Knowing the drama was over, the Lords got to work, hauling the younger heroes to their feet before steering them out the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Less than an hour later, the children were secure, their mentors making sure they were separated from each other and couldn't try any risky escapades. However, the Lords could not control the Young Justice actions once the heroes were alone in their rooms. Artemis stood in the middle of her personal space and fumed. The scattered books, clothes and trinkets on the floor were testament to her rage as she threw everything she could lay her hands on at the door but it had no effect, on the door or her anger.

How dare those Lords give away her secrets! 

Although none of her friends had appeared to notice it, the revelation that her father was a villain and one the Young Justice had faced before, had to have been noticed by the smarter members of the team. How could she continue to have their trust with that knowledge hanging over her head? And how could her father do it? How could the Sportsmaster kill his only daughter and wife in cold blood like that?

These thoughts flew through Artemis head, leaving her confused and dazed. But even in her confusion, there was one fact which remained solid. She could not allow the Justice Lords to go through with their plan. To do that would not just leave her imprisoned in another universe but leave her mother unprotected against her father, her sister and any others who could decide to take out the former villain Huntress, something which the young archer could not allow to happen. No, the Lords could not do this. Not without a fight. And Artemis swore, she would fight with everything she had.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Across the hall, in another bedroom, Roy also fumed. However, his was not to do with the manner of his death. 

From an early age, Roy had been familiar with death. The loss of his father when he was just a kid and his later training under Green Arrow had made him somewhat use to the idea. He knew that one day he would die and to die as a hero was not a bad way to go. No, he was angry for another reason.

Despite their best intentions, the Lords were exactly the same as the League. Treating him like a kid who couldn't take care of himself. It was an insult to all of Roy's hard work and training that none of the adult heroes were willing to let him go his own way, to make his own mistakes and fight his own fights. And now they wanted to drag him to another reality, where he was even less likely to be able to make his own way in the world. No, as long as Roy had his strength, he would fight the Lords and everything they stood for.

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In her room, M'gann sighed. She had never before felt so helpless. The revelation of her hand in Conner's death and her own demise had made her realise how little she could control her surroundings, and her current problem made things even worse. Her uncle, knowing that the Young Justice team would be unhappy with the current situation, had managed to mentally seperate her from her team mates. Now, the whole team was blind, unable to communicate and coordinate an escape.

And worse still, he was a constant presence in the back of her mind. Everything she thought was already known by him, everything she knew, he knew. She couldn't plan and she couldn't fight. She was trapped and could see no way out. Defeated.

All she could do now was sit and hope her friends could find a way to escape their fate where she couldn't.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the dark confinds of the cupboard in his room, Conner stood. Normally the small, dark space which was so like his Cadmus Pod was enough to calm him down but now his mind was racing, stopping him from relaxing. The moment Superman had walked into Mount Justice, Conner had been wary. Although the affection of his mentor or DNA donor as Wally had sometimes called him, had been great, Conner had been aware that something was very wrong. The Man of Steel had been too friendly, too....nice to his clone. After such a long period of neglect, it had been too strange. And then the team had learnt the truth. 

Suddenly Conner was conflicted. Unlike his friends, he could actually profit from following the Lords. The continued rejection from the Leagues Superman had left the Boy of Steel with nothing of value and the Lords Superman's offer of a loving home and a new family was tempting. However, that offer came with a price. The others did not have the same to gain as the clone. By accepting the Lords offer, Conner would be working against his friends, the very people who had rescued him from Cadmus, the people who had taught him that he was more than a weapon and who had opened their hearts and homes to him when he had needed them.

Could he really do it? Could he side with the Lords and pull his best friends away from everything they knew and loved?

Conner continued to think, to try and work his way out of an impossible problem in the hopes that maybe, there would be a peaceful solution.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In his own room, Kaldur tried to piece together all the information he had been given. It was clear from the comments made by his mentor that witnessing the deaths of the Young Justice had been only one of a series of incidents for the King of Atlantis. As Aquaman had followed Superman's orders and escorted the younger Atlantian to his room, the King had revealed something which had shocked Kaldur. In the Lords time, Queen Mera was dead. It seemed that Black Manta, having already murdered his son, had attacked the underwater city in revenge against the King who had turned his son. The stress of the battle on the heavily pregnant queen, who had been without her husband or her most trusted friends, had forced an early labour in which, neither baby nor mother survived.

After the death of his wife and loss of his heir, the King had followed his land dwelling counterparts in enforcing a hard rule. And when the Lords Batman had revealed his plan, Aquaman had immediately decided to take part. Although he had wanted to bring his wife back, he would not. He could not put his League counterpart through the loss of both wife and child. Instead, he had chosen to reclaim his protégé. And Kaldur couldn't fault the Kings logic. If Kaldu wasn't killed, Black Manta might not attack Atlantis in revenge and Queen Mera wouldn't suffer. In his own way, the Lord Aquaman was being kind to his League counterpart and Kaldur couldn't condemn him for it.

It would be unpleasant, but if he could save his Queen, Aqualad was willing to follow the Lords.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once again, Wally West was jumpy, pacing around his room. As much as he loved his uncle Barry and the attention the older hero was giving him, he didn't think he loved this new world the Lord had created. He didn't want to be separated from his parents or his aunt Iris or any of the others in his life. He didn't want to see the Flash's Rogues turned into brainless puppets. He didn't want to live in a world run in such a way. 

Despite what the rest of the Young Justice thought, Wally was by nature a scientist and a realist. He knew that a world like the one the Lords had created was not a sustainable world but rather an empire. And looking back through history, he knew that all empires fell, even if it took several generations. And how long would it take before the Lords tried to turn the team into imitations of themselves? Into the next generation of Justice Lords?

It was the speedsters current theory that the Lords actions were not driven just by the want for their dead children, but the need for heirs to carry on their empire.

Wally sighed and slowed down slightly. Well, if they wanted the Young Justice, then they were in for a fight from Wally West.

He glanced at the wall and smiled, his racing mind already moving away from the problems the Lords presented. He had a certain thing he wanted to show his best friend. And he couldn't help but wonder if the Lord Flash would come to regret teaching the younger speedster some of his more famous tricks.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin was sitting on his bed, his knees to his chest and his boots resting on the bedspread. Normally this was an action which would get him in trouble with Bruce or Alfred but he was feeling petty now and any little acts like this were helping to make him feel better. Normally Robin didn't like to act like a brat. He always tried to be a good kid and often went out of his way to impress his mentor and everyone around him. After all, keeping the proper image as the ward of a rich and powerful man was not as easy as everyone thought. But in only one day he had been drugged, tied up, imprisoned and shouted at by people he had known and trusted and he was out of kindness. And he was determined.

The Lords were going to learn first hand that Robin may be dedicated to his work and follow orders without question, but if he was ordered to do something he didn't agree with, he would fight the whole way.

And he refused to support the Lords when he knew the League still needed him. It was clear that the Lords had not factored in the Leagues loss when they had made their plans, had not realised how their actions would affect the younger League. But Robin could see the cycle which was forming. The loss of the Leagues children had created the Lords so what could stop it happening again to their Justice League? 

Behind his mask, Robin planned. He knew exactly where the Lord Batman had put his belt and gloves, he knew how to hack the Mount Justice computers and he knew that the Lord Batman was currently working on recreating the link which brought the Lords to this time. All he needed to do was to use this information to his advantage. A plan slowly formed in the Boy Wonders mind.

For the first time since this had all started, the Boy Wonder smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

Despite all Robin's careful planning, there was still one problem which he was yet to solve. He was still locked in his room. Jumping off the bed, the 13 year old quickly glanced around. Apart from a poster, a spare change of clothes, his sunglasses and a few books Wally had lent him, the room was bare. Having been raised in a circus for the first 8 years of his life, Robin had learnt to live with only basics. It had been a serious culture shock when he had first been introduced to the standard of living which was Wayne Manor and when he had been offered the room at Mount Justice, he had only accepted because he had needed a place to sleep on long missions.

Robin was by nature, a minimalist. He carried all his weapons himself and didn't like to rely on his surroundings. That was why, unlike the rest of his team, he didn't store weapons in his room. But now, with the base taken and the team separated, Robin found himself wishing he had at least tried to hide something. The Lords had searched all the rooms, making sure there was nothing which could be used against them or, if the team became too desperate, could be used for self-harm but it would have been nice if he had at least tried. But now it was too late.

Escape, in the Lords minds, was impossible. However, they hadn't known about an incident which had taken place some months before. When Mount Justice had first become the home of the Justice League, a ducted heating system had been installed to allow air to travel through the base. No one had thought about it when Mount Justice had been abandoned and then reclaimed by the Young Justice. But Robin had found the small hole in the wall of his room one afternoon, and becoming curious, he had climbed in. The Boy Wonder had spent the next few hours crawling through the bowls of the mountain.

The rest of the team, having realised that their youngest member had disappeared, had launched a search for the young hero, finally finding him when Robin had managed to find an exit to the shaft in the sub-basement.

Kaldur, as leader of the team as well as the big brother figure for Robin, had been furious at Robin's actions. However, the fear of Batman's reactions when he discovered the truth had been enough to buy the teams silence and the whole group had agreed never to speak of it again.

And so, the duct system was once again forgotten. Until now.

Robin knelt down to inspect the vent. Thankfully he had never gotten around to securing the cover after his little venture and it came off easily when Robin pulled at it. He glanced into the dark hole. Robin was the smallest on the team, but it was a tight fit, even for him. That, added with the fact that Robin was not 100% familiar with the system, made this a very risky escape route. Even if he did manage to get safely out, there was still a possibility one of the Lords would see him or remember the ducts system foil his plan.

Closing his eyes, Robin tried to remember the route he had taken which had ended in the sub-basement.

A gust of air whipped through his hair.

"Robin?"

Robin spun around, ready to lash out but Kid Flash was faster, jumping away before his friend could strike him.

"Dude! It's ok, it's just me!"

Robin felt a wave of relief wash through him.

"Wally?" he asked, not quite sure he could believe what he was seeing. He quickly glanced at the locked door. Suddenly, he realised what had happened. "You vibrated your molecules."

Wally grinned.

"Told you I could do it Boy Wonder." He replied.

Robin glanced at the vent. Then he looked back at Wally whose nose had already started to bleed.

"Could you do it again?" he quickly asked.

Wally nodded, taking no notice of his bleeding nose. Robin jumped to his feet and grabbed his friends arm, pulling him over to the locked door.

"Batman left my belt and gloves on the bench in the kitchen. I need you to get them and bring them back here." He said, giving the speedster a small push. Wally froze.

"No! Better idea. Why don't I unlock the door myself?" The speedster asked, clearly worried about running into any of the Lords.

Robin stared at him. Then, he pointed at the keypad on the door.

"The locks are all number code activated. I can't hack the computer and get the codes without my equipment. But if you think you can do it...." he said pointedly.

Wally opened his mouth to reply but stopped as he thought about the situation.

"I'll get your stuff." He finally said.

Robin watched as Kid Flash pressed his hands to the door, his whole body vibrating. The speedster stepped forward.

Robin blinked as his best friend disappeared. Then, he slowly turned back to his bed and sat down, praying that Wally wouldn't get caught.

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Wally let out a sigh of relief as he made it safely through the door. Despite what he had told Robin, he wasn't completely confident in his new found abilities and the fear that he would accidently leave something behind was still strong.

Once the relief was gone, Wally wiped the blood from his face and immediately set his mind to the task. The corridor was empty, but that didn't mean that the Lords weren't hanging around in odd corners. He was going to have to be fast.

He dashed through the corridors, past all the rooms where his team mates had been locked away and out into the wider halls which led to the more important rooms. This was the danger point. Any of the Lords could be in any of these rooms, slowing down Wally listened intensely for any sounds of life.

Although he didn't have superhearing like Conner or Superman, he did notice a faint sound, a swift series of taps. Glancing around once more to ensure none of the Lords had snuck up on him; Wally turned and followed the sound. It was coming from the control room, the open door allowing the sound to travel through the hallway. There was someone in there, working on the computer. Wally peaked around the door and blinked in surprise. The hunched figure had to be Batman. The Lord was working away at a mathematical formula, which would make his head spin if Wally ever tried to read it.

Even as Wally thought this, the Lord stopped. With a sigh, Batman let his hands fall off the keyboard. Then, slowly, the imposing figure raised his hands. Wally felt his breath catch as Batman removed his cowl, rubbing his hands through his dark hair.

Wally was one of the few people outside of the Justice League who knew the identity of the man under the cowl. Being best friends with Robin had made him privy to many of the secrets of the Batfamily. But in all the time he had known him, Wally had never heard of Bruce Wayne appearing in the middle of a mission.

Dragging himself away from the slight, Wally turned away from the door. He froze. While he had been thinking about the Bat, he had failed to listen to his surroundings. Footsteps were moving towards him, their owners speaking in quiet voices. Scanning his surroundings, Wally couldn't stop his eyes being drawn to the vent. Seeing Robin contemplate that escape only minutes before had reminded Wally of that day when the Boy Wonder had caused a lockdown. Realising it was his only chance, the ducked down and began to vibrate, passing through the grate.

The moment he was safely in, the speedster froze. The vent was a tight fit and if he hadn't known he could pass through the metal, Wally would have been terrified that he would get stuck. Trying to quiet his breathing, Wally watched as the voices drew near.

"I don't know Dinah." The male voice said. "I mean, Roy and I, we had our issues. It just hurts to have to relive them."

"Ollie." A female voice replied. "You have done it before. You can do it again. Roy can and will forgive you."

Two pairs of legs moved into view and paused, followed by a strange sound the hidden speedster couldn't quite identify. Angling his head, Wally managed to see the two Lords faces. He managed to hold back the gasp. Black Canary was kissing Green Arrow, her hand stroking his cheek. With a sigh, Green Arrow drew back, taking her hands in his own.

"I expected it to be hard, but not this hard. Even Artemis hates me." He muttered.

Black Canary smiled slightly.

"Well, you did tell the whole team who her father was." She reminded him.

Green Arrow smiled slightly.

"Not a good idea?" he asked, teasing Black Canary.

The female hero rolled her eyes.

"No Ollie. Not a good idea." She confirmed.

The two heroes fell silent. Wally held his breath, hoping neither of them had heard him. The sound of the speedster's heartbeat alone should have been enough to give him away, it was so loud. The Lords turned towards the control room.

"It's just Bats." Green Arrow muttered.

Wally suddenly realised. The sound he had been hearing wasn't his heart beat. It was the taping of computer keys. Clearly Batman had gotten over whatever it was that possessed him to take off his cowl.

"He's hurting." Black Canary replied, staring at the door.

"Aren't we all?" Green Arrow grumbled.

Black Canary glanced at him.

"Batman takes things to heart. He always has. And although we all deny it, Robin is a lot like him and Batman knows it. The boy is feeling betrayed and I don't think he can forgive easily. Batman will have to do something big to win Robin back to his side, if Robin can be won over at all. By comparison, you have an easy job."

Green Arrow glanced at her.

"Dammit! You are making me feel bad for complaining now." He said.

Black Canary gave a small laugh.

"Oh Ollie, I would rather handle two Arrows over a Bat any day." She replied.

Green Arrow looked at her.

"Really? How about three?" he asked, smiling at her again.

Black Canary playfully hit him over the head.

"Behave. Maybe after the kids are home and everything is settled." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Green Arrow to stand by himself.

Green Arrow growled under his breath.

"Tricky woman." He muttered, before turning and following her down the hall and out of sight.

From his hiding spot, Wally sighed, relieved he hadn't been discovered. Quickly, he forced his way out of the vent, rolled onto his feet and bolted down the hall. Thankfully, no one else appeared as Wally made his way through the halls and into the kitchen. Robin's belt and gloves were where the Boy Wonder said they would be, along with Red Arrow, Artemis and Aqualad's weapons. Scooping up his best friend's equipment, Wally turned and dashed back the way he had come, making it to Robins door in record time.

Vibrating through the door, Wally quickly threw the items onto his best friends lap.

"Rob, you are not going to believe what I just saw."


	14. Chapter 14

"Ah man!" Wally whined. He was sitting on Robin's bed, a horrified look on his face.

Robin turned his attention away from the holographic screen displaying his progress as he hacked the lock.

"What?" he asked, glancing towards his best friend.

Wally raised his glove and indicated to it. It had been on the orders of Lord Flash that Wally was allowed to keep it, the emergency food supplies a vital resource for any speedster.

"I'm low on snacks." He replied, opening the empty pocket to prove his point.

Robin quickly glanced at the litter on his bed. Since returning with Robin's gear, Wally had been constantly eating.

"And those didn't help at all?" he asked.

Wally glanced down at the mess before quickly trying to clear it up. It was rule 1 of 'How to live with a Bat'. You don't annoy them. Well, except on special occasions.

"Fast metabolism, remember?" He muttered in his own defence.

Robin rolled his eyes under the mask before turning back to his work. The code was a lot more advanced then Robin had expected and it was taking longer than the Boy Wonder had hoped to crack.

"Well, why didn't you refill when you were in the kitchen?" he asked as once again, the program failed, kicking the Teen out of the server. Robin sighed and rebooted his computer.

"Rob, you know I have a one track mind. I was way too busy grossing out about Green Arrow and Black Canary to even think of eating. I mean really, why would she go for a guy like him?"

Robin rolled his eyes. He had been doing that a lot since Wally had returned.

"Well, that at least explains why you didn't grab everyone else's weapons while you were there." He muttered.

"Heard that!" Wally called. "And the reason, Boy Wonder, was because I couldn't carry everything."

Both boys fell silent, thinking. Something clicked.

"Yes!" Robin said, shoving his fist into the air in triumph. There was a gust of air and Wally was at his side as the door slowly opened. Both young heroes looked out at the empty corridor.

"Ok. What's the plan?" Wally asked quietly, all traces of the immature prankster gone.

"We need to get to the lab. From there we can hack the main computer, use it to send out a distress signal and put Mount Justice in Lockdown."

"Whoa, I thought you were suppose to be smart! The League has already been captured. They can't help us, especially if we lock ourselves in."

Robin glanced at Wally.

"There are heroes out there that are not members of the League Wally." He quickly held up a small device. "And I have this."

Wally looked at it. It was a black communicator.

"And what is it?" he asked.

Robin grinned.

"It's an emergency Bat Communicator. Only connects to two other communicators. One is at the Manor with Alfred, and the other is Batman's."

Wally felt the need to hit his friend over the head. For the son (adopted) of the Worlds Greatest Detective, Robin was being very dumb.

"But we don't want to talk to Batman. He will just lock us up again."

Robin grinned again.

"I wasn't talking about that Batman." He replied.

The two heroes fell silent again, Robin mentally preparing himself while Wally tried to understand what his friend had meant.

"We should go." Robin finally said. After all, it would be bad for both of them if any of the Lords stumbled upon them just as they escaped the room.

Wally nodded and took off in a slow run down the corridor, well aware of Robin racing along with him.

The two Young Justice members navigated the maze of corridors with ease, stopping every now and again to assess their surroundings and listen for any signs of the Lords. Finally, they stopped as they reached the exit to the living quarters.

"Well, we have made it this far." Wally said quietly as the two ducked down and peered out into the hall.

"Where do you think the Lords are?" Robin asked, partly to himself. The lack of evidence was starting to worry him.

"Don't know." Wally muttered back. "But I think we should take it slow from here on."

Robin nodded and rose again, slipping out into the hall. Wally followed him, keeping his footsteps light. After all, the Lords could be in any of these rooms.

The two continued onwards, both of them alert as they passed the control room, its door now closed.

Finally, they made it to the end of the hallway, now only a few meters from their final destination. There was a sound. The two heroes froze, listening. The sound was too light, too fast to be normal footsteps.

Although Robin didn't recognise the sound, Wally did. The speedster stopped breathing, realising with horror what was about to happen. He glanced around. Only a few feet away was a door to one of the many service cupboards. In the early years of the Justice League, these had been used to house equipment and spare parts for the control room and the lab.

Without thinking, Wally had jumped to his feet and grabbed Robin, dragging the surprised hero to the door. Opening it, he threw his best friend inside and indicated to the 13 year old to be silent before closing the door again as quietly as possible.

The sound was drawing closer, speeding up. Jumping away from the door, Wally froze again as The Flash rounded the corner.

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To say Barry was bored had to be an understatement. The job had been done, the younger heroes were under control and the Lords were just waiting to go home. It was an easy enough plan. Of course, there was the question of what to do once they got home.

The kids would adapt quickly to their new world, once they realised how much safer and better the Lords had made it, maybe even taking it upon themselves to become the next generation of Justice Lords. Black Canary had been talking almost non-stop about all the training plans she had been working on for the younger heroes.

But the plan did have one problem. It had seemed in Barry's mind that the Lords had forgotten about the League. Oh, the plan was already set to send the captured League members back to their own reality as soon as the Young Justice was safely in the Lords world. But Barry couldn't help but wonder what these actions would do to the League. Would the League collapse the way the Lords had at the loss of the younger heroes? Would they turn hostile, attacking without mercy the way the Lords had done?

Barry remembered that first year. He had done a lot of things he wasn't proud of when the Lords had first risen to power. Things which had cost him his family, his friends and his self-respect.

There was a sound, like footsteps, coming from ahead of him.

Barry paused, narrowing his eyes. He knew that the most of the Lords had been in the training room when he had left only moments before. None of them were fast enough to overtake him without him noticing them, and there were no other routes to this point. It could be Batman, but the Dark Knight moved silently. Barry doubted he would be making any noise, even if he were unaware of Barry's movements. Bats was creepy that way. Eliminating Gothams hero only left one possible option.

Speeding up, Barry walked around the corner and stopped. He blinked. Wally was standing in the middle of the hallway, looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.

"Wally?" The Flash asked. "What are you doing?"

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As the Flash rounded a corner, Wally froze, his brain working fast. Although many people didn't know it, Wally West was a good actor. For many years before becoming Kid Flash, he had carefully hidden a part of himself away from his family and friends. The serious part, the scientist part who observed everything, who had led him to recreate his uncle's experiment and become who he was.

Unfortunately, suppressing this side of himself had some side effects. Using the happy, go lucky 'cover Wally', as the speedster had called it, had become a default setting, a side of Wally which everyone expected to see. Whenever he felt threatened or trapped whether it be verbally, physically or mentally, Wally would automatically react with his cover. It tended to be safer, but unfortunately, had led to many people assuming that Wally was unable to take anything seriously, and why people like Aretmis thought he was an idiot.

It had happened when the Lords had cornered the Young Justice in the entertainment room and even as Wally watched the Flash appear, he felt himself automatically go back into the safer, funny Wally.

He couldn't help it. He grinned.

"Wally? What are you doing?"

Wally quickly held up the glove, opening the compartment to show the lack of treats.

"I'm out of food." The younger speedster replied. "I was just going to the kitchen Uncle Barry."

Mentally, Wally cursed. He hadn't wanted to address the Flash in such a friendly term. However, it was worth it to see the Flash drop his tense stance and smile at him.

"And how did you get out of your room?" The Flash asked, relaxing. Unlike most of the Young Justice, in the Lords minds Wally was no threat.

In front of him, the younger hero started bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"I vibrated my molecules."

If it were possible, Barry's smile got even bigger. Moving at a speed similar to his namesake, Barry ran to the teen and hugged him.

Wally accepted the hug reluctantly. Although the cover Wally was in full swing, he still felt odd hugging a Flash who had, only hours before, described both the manner of his death and how he planned to kidnap him.

The Flash however, didn't seem to notice anything wrong as he pulled away.

"Come on. I am sure you could use a partner to help raid the kitchen."

Wally glanced back at the door where Robin was hiding. He had hoped The Flash would accept his spur of the moment idea and leave him alone. Clearly, he had been mistaken. To reject Barry now would be suspicious and Wally couldn't draw any attention to Robin. He would just have to hope the Boy Wonder could continue alone.

"Great!" He smiled up at his uncle. "Let's go."


	15. Chapter 15

Robin waited silently in the cupboard, listening as the footsteps faded away. Then he gave a small sigh of relief. Although it made him slightly guilty, he was glad Wally was now with the Flash.

Although Robin had cut Wally in on most of his plan, he had failed to mention some important information. Yes, he did plan to send a distress signal. Despite what Wally thought, very few members of the hero population of the earth were League based. The Justice Society, for example were still fairly active in certain areas. And only a few days before, Robin had been talking to his friend Donna Troy. Wonder Woman's young sister had been investigating the possibilities of creating a new superhero group and had wanted to know the Boy Wonders thoughts. Robin had already helped her create a name for the team. Although this new group, the Teen Titans wouldn't be ready for several months if not years, there were still young heroes out there who were interested in proving themselves. And even if all the teams failed, there were still many freelance heroes working in their own cities around the world. Someone had to pick up the call.

The only problem and it was a big one if Robin was honest with himself, was that any distress signals sent from Mount Justice would automatically go to the Watch Tower and Robin was positive the Lords had someone up on the space station. It wouldn't take long for the Lords to track the signal back to him.

Unless Robin got very lucky, the chances of him escaping the Lords after that were very small.

And despite how selfish it seemed, Robin couldn't help but be grateful that his best friend would be safely out of the way. The Lords Flash would protect Wally if everything went wrong.

Realising he was stalling; Robin pushed the door open and stepped out of the cupboard, glancing around. Thankfully, it seemed that none of the other Lords had decided to take a walk. The Flash, too content to hang out with his nephew, clearly hadn't thought of the possibilities that any of the other Young Justice members could have escaped and Wally would hopefully stall him long enough to stop him putting all the evidence together.

Running down the final corridor, Robin made it into the Lab.

The Lab was a big room, full of tables and beds. It had fallen into disuse during the last year, the Young Justice rarely needing it when the Watch Tower was available but in earlier years it had been used both as a make-shift sick room and a laboratory. Many experiments had been conducted here, many lives saved in this very room. But the room was of little importance to Robin. His goal was the wall sized computer resting in the corner.

Robin remembered being in this very room when he was just 9 years old. He had been Robin for only a few months when the discovery of a new bio-weapon in Gotham had led to a detour in the normal patrol. Batman, unable to use the caves resources but unsure what to do with his young partner, had taken Robin with him to the then home of the Justice League and the Boy Wonders first meeting with the older heroes. Robin had sent a few hours having fun and getting under the feet of the whole League, but one image of that night had been branded in Robin's mind.

Even as he walked towards the computer, Robin remembered his 9 year old self watch Batman sit at the computer, working hard. Pushing the image from his mind, Robin activated the computer, cringing slightly at the bright light of the start up sequence.

With quick efficiency, Robin connected his own wrist computer to the more powerful server, breaking through the firewalls of the main system. He typed out the distress message and set the frequency as fast as possible, hoping the signal was strong enough to make it through. Crossing his fingers for good luck, Robin sent out the message.

Taking a calming breath, Robin deleted the message and hacked into the server again. He needed to force a lockdown and trap the Lords.

He glanced up at the screen and paused. The server for the Mount Justice computer was huge, designed to allow the occupants to share information and files easily, even from different computers within the base.

An unknown program was running. Someone else was on the computer.

Quickly, Robin opened the program. He gasped at the calculations. There was no doubt what these were for. Robin continued to stare at them. Despite the headache they caused, they did give him an idea. Quickly, he pulled out his Bat Communicator. Hooking it to his glove, he downloaded the information off the screen and into his own computer, connecting all three devices together. Working fast, Robin activated his communicator, sending a signal down the line.

It was a long shot, but if he were very lucky the signal should connect to Batman's communicator, where ever he was.

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Up in the Watch Tower, Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes. As soon as the distress signal had been detected, she had been on alert, trying to find the origin and figure out the situation. And now it was clear. The signal was coming from Mount Justice. Worried for her team mates, she had contacted the Lords at the older base. However, her demand for an update had been met with surprise. None of the other Lords had registered the signal.

Wonder Woman had paused in shock; listening as her colleges quickly discussed the situation. Finally, they all came to an agreement. One of the Young Justice members must have escaped.

On the other end of the comm, Superman had pushed everyone into action and organised a scan of the base, looking for the escaped teen. Even from her position up on the space station, Wonder Woman could feel the anger rolling off the Man of Steel.

It was with relief then that the voice which finally spoke to her wasn't Kal's. It was Batman's.

"Diana, I need you to block the signal as soon as possible."

Wonder Woman smiled slight, glad to have something to do.

"I'm on it Bruce. Do you have any idea who caused it?"

There was a pause.

"Get down here as soon as you finish. And bring Hawkman with you."

The connection cut out, the Dark Knight not looking for a reply. Wonder Woman sighed. Clearly, Batman did know who had tripped the system and if Diana were honest with herself, she could give an educated guess of the culprits identity too. Shaking her head, she got to work. Blocking a signal like this would be tricky and time consuming. She just hoping that whoever had pulled this stunt would survive Superman's wrath.

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Back in the Lords world, the League gathered around the computer. Batman had managed to hack a few of his counterpart's files and was trying to piece the information together, the rest of the League waiting nervously. The Lord Green Lantern had been locked in the very cell the League had occupied and was no longer able to cause trouble but the damage had already been done.

A feeling of panic was spreading as the League realised they could face the loss of their children. Even Superman, who had fought hard to prevent any form of emotional attachment with his young clone, was struggling with the possible loss. He had already vocalised his horror, swearing that he would not let Superboy be taken.

In normal times, the rest of the League would have jumped at this comment, seeing it both as a step forward for their Kryptonian counterpart and a promise which they could hold him too. But this was not a normal time.

The Man of Steels vocal response was not the only nervous habit being noticed by the League. In the far corner, The Flash was pacing. Although normally the most relaxed of the team, Barry knew what he stood to lose in this situation. Not only could he lose his favourite nephew, but his beloved wife Iris would never forgive him, the West family would hate him. Even Jay would lose respect for him. He would be a failure as a hero and as a family man.

And he wasn't the only one thinking that. Across from where the Flash paced, Green Arrow sighed and once again released the string of his bow. Restringing his bow was a nervous habit he had picked up many years back and used to help himself think. But now he didn't want to think. He didn't want to think about Roy and the fact that he might never get to reconcile with the kid, that he would never get to say he was sorry and try to become the mentor the kid deserved. He didn't want to think about Artemis, who he had helped to distance herself from a horrible life as her father's weapon, and who he had never wanted to see forced back into a life controlled by the whims of a madman. With another sigh, Green Arrow tied a loop in the string and once again fitted it to the bow, not wanting to think anymore.

He glanced over at his teammates. Diana had lost control of her temper fairly shortly after their captive Lord had reviled his teams plans and it was only quick thinking from both Batman and Superman which had stopped her from destroying anything of importance or more importantly, committing murder. Now she paced at the opposite corner from the Flash. Ollie knew she didn't stand to lose as much as the rest of the team. Her sister appeared to be safe. And yet, she too would suffer if the Lords succeeded. She would be forced to watch helplessly as her friends lost everything. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Even as Green Arrow watched, Wonder Woman stopped her pacing and glanced back at him before turning to look at Batman.

Green Arrow knew exactly what she was thinking.

Although he was facing the loss of two children, Green Arrow didn't have nearly as much to lose as Batman. No one did.

In the years before Robin had arrived in the Dark Knights life, the Bat had been slowly growing darker, less forgiving, less human. The arrival of the Boy Wonder, although at first raising concern over children in the line of fire, had long since been considered a blessing as Batman re-learnt how to live. No one wanted to see a return of the old Batman. Especially not Batman himself.

Ollie looked away from the figure at the computer. He gave his bow a quick tug before sighing and loosening the string again, once again plagued with bad thoughts.

The cave was silent. That was why the sudden shrill beep startled them all. Only Batman controlled his surprise at the sound, quickly reaching to his belt and pulling something out of one of the pockets. The League quickly gathered around their detective, studying the device in his hand. It was a small black communicator, complete with the Batman's symbol. Batman pressed something on the side, allowing the face to open, showing what looked like a speaker. The hiss of static emitted from the communicator.

"Whoa! Who is trying to call you?" Flash asked, leaning dangerously close to the Dark Knight.

To the whole Leagues surprise, Batman's habitual scowl broke slightly, the corners of his mouth moving upwards into what was possibly a smile.

"Robin." He replied


	16. Chapter 16

With a small smile, Robin deactivated his communicator. Unable to get words through the static, he had still shouted for joy when the device connected. Although it didn't help his own predicament much, it did mean his mentor was still alive. And knowing Batman, he was already working on getting home. Robin had no doubt that Batman would know what was going on and would fight the Lords if he could.

Leaving his glove hooked up to the computer, Robin opened the screen and began to set the lockdown. Now that he knew Batman was out there, he had no doubt that the Dark Knight would come for them. He just needed to trap the Lords in one space.

He had just begun the shut down sequence when a faint sound reached his ears. Robin allowed his instincts to take over as he threw himself to the ground, the batarang sailing above his head, smashing into the computer screen and short circuiting the server. Without thinking, Robin pulled the connecting wires from his glove and rose to his feet, throwing out two of his own batarangs.

They bounced off Superman's black and white chest, falling to the floor like harmless toys. The Man of Steel looked down at the weapons before looking back at the teen, a dangerous look in his eyes as behind him, the rest of the Lords moving around to block the door. They were an imposing sight.

Pushing down a small wave of fear, Robin reached for one of his eskrima sticks and held it at the ready.

"Robin. I expected better of you." Superman said, looking down at the teen from his imposing height.

"Well, clearly your expectations were too high." Robin shot back.

If it were possible, Superman looked even more dangerous. Sensing the danger, Batman stepped forward and placed a warning hand on the Man of Steels shoulder. Superman shrugged it off, ignoring his friend and instead stepping towards the teen. Robin took a small step backwards, well aware of the damaged computer blocking his escape.

"Now listen to me Robin and listen carefully. This is where it ends. You will be escorted back to your room where you will wait along with your team members for us to come and collect you." The Krypton said. Robin had never seen Superman angry. It was not something he really wanted to face. Robin took a deep, calming breath, knowing what he had to do next.

Superman turned away; his eyes scanned the rest of the Lords. His blue gaze came to rest on Wally West, who was, although he would never admit it, trying to hide behind the Flash. The speedsters had been discovered raiding the kitchen by Green Arrow and both had been subject to a earbashing and Wally a quick interrogation before Robin had been found.

"Get them both back to their rooms." The Man of Steel ordered.

"No."

The entire group glanced over at Robin, who was glaring at Superman. Even Wally looked shocked at Robins daring. Slowly, Superman turned around.

"What?" he asked quietly.

Robin's empty hand curled into a fist.

"No!" He shouted at the Lord. "We will not go back to our rooms. You are not our mentors and you cannot order us around."

For the second time in only a few hours, the Lords witnessed Robin enter into a shouting match with one of their own. And they were not sure Robin would survive this time.

"Robin." Superman said a warning tone in his voice.

"You are not heroes. None of you! You all think you are so brave and good, creating your perfect world and trying to make us respect you for it. A perfect world! You don't even know what that is. You are all worse than the murderers and villains you all use to face. No one in their right minds would respect you. No one! We hate all of you! And the Young Justice won't stop until we end you!"

No one saw Superman move. One moment, he was standing with the Lords, the next he was over by the damaged computer, lifting the struggling teen up by his neck. There was a clatter of metal on the ground as Robin dropped his weapon, instead grabbing hold of Superman's arm to try and lessen the pressure on his windpipe.

The next comment was spoken in a whisper but everyone heard it.

"I have spent the last three years dealing with trouble makers Richard. You are no threat to me."

"Clark!" Superman turned to glance at Batman, who had pulled out two batarangs. Unlike Robins, these were designed to be used against Superman, a sliver of kryptonite embedded in silver on each one. Thrown accurately, these would hurt without causing damage to the Man of Steel. A warning of the power Batman had.

"Put him down." The Dark Knight growled.

Superman glanced between Batman and Robin and then towards the rest of the Lords, who were all watching the scene in horror. He closed his eyes. He had let his anger get the better of him, yet he couldn't back down. He couldn't show any weakness. Making up his mind, he glanced at Robin once again as the teen struggled in his grip. Then, he threw the boy.

All the Lords gasped at Superman's actions, none of them ever thinking the Man of Steel would do something like this. With quick thinking, the Flash threw his arm around Wally, pulling the teenager tightly against his chest while his other hand landed over his nephew's eyes, wanted to block out as much as possible.

Robin was use to being thrown around. Many of Gotham's worst nut jobs had no problem seeing how far they could toss the young hero, often off tall buildings. Robin was trained to handle that. However, he was not trained to handle being thrown across a room by an angry super powered alien. Especially a room full of objects which, to help keep the room in order, were nailed down.

The Boy Wonder hit the edge of the examination table and bound off, collapsing to the floor in a heap, his back to the group.

It had been one of the first things Batman had ever taught Robin, right up there with always keep your belt with you. Know your enemy encase you are ever knocked off your feet. If you are facing a good man, they will wait for you to get up, their honour code not allowing them to strike an opponent on the ground. However, if you are facing a bad man, get up as quickly as possible. A bad man will only see the opportunity an injured opponent presents them. Robin quickly analysed Superman, the man he often thought of as an uncle. He was a good man, and Robin doubted three years were enough to change that in the Lord. He stayed still, trying to draw a breath.

Behind him, Superman strode past the rest of the Lords, ignoring their stares. After a few seconds, Martian Manhunter turned and followed him, Aquaman right behind. Green Arrow, sensing Black Canary shaking next to him, put an arm around her.

"Come on." He whispered. "We need to talk."

He guided her out of the room, leaving only Batman, The Flash and Kid Flash. With a small sigh, Barry released his nephew. Wally blinked in the light before scanning the room. He noticed Robin lying on the ground. In a flash he was at his best friend's side. Barry opened his mouth, wanting to call his nephew back but Batman stopped him.

"I'll handle this." He said to the speedster.

Flash thought quickly. He didn't think Batman would harm his nephew and clearly Wally was not going to leave Robin's side. The speedster nodded before leaving the room, the door shutting behind him.

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Robin gasped in agony, his lungs feeling like they were on fire. Ignoring the sounds around him, Robin mentally assessed his injuries. Despite his Kevlar tunic, his ribcage hurt. Not enough to suggest actual broken bones, but most certainly bruising at the very least. There was blood in his mouth too. It took Robin a moment to realise that he had bitten through his own cheek. His head hurt where he had hit the floor. With a small groan, Robin curled up, trying not to aggravate his bruised ribs. He was beaten. Now all he could do was wait for the Lords to make their move.

It didn't take long. Within a few moments, he could head footsteps walking towards him. A hand wrapped around his arm, pulling him into a sitting positing. Robin gasped at the sudden movement.

"Dude, you ok?"

Robin started, surprised to see Wally kneeling next to him. But the speedster wasn't the owner of the hand still holding his arm. Robin glanced to the other figure. Batman was also kneeling beside him, an unreadable look on the Lords face.

A quick scan of the room showed that it was now empty, the rest of the Lords retreating.

"Robin?"

This time the voice came from Batman. Robin tried to pull his arm away but Batman didn't let go, instead pulling the teen up onto his feet.

Robin winched and placed a hand against his chest before using the back of his glove to wipe the blood from his mouth.

"I'm fine."

Wally nodded, accepting the comment while Batman scanned the teen. Finally, he also nodded.

"Follow me." Batman ordered, turning towards the door.

The two teens glanced at each other.

"Didn't you hear anything Rob just said?" Wally asked. He took a step backwards as Batman rounded on him. However, Batman's reply was enough to confuse both teens.

"If you want to help your League, then you will both follow me."


	17. Chapter 17

As Batman strode down the hall, he was aware of the two young heroes following him at a distance, his comment enough to keep the Young Justice members from fleeing. The two were talking quietly, clearly trying not to be overheard by their guard.

"I don't know man. This is weird. I mean Superman is evil and Batman is good? It doesn't make sense." 

This comment was followed by a soft sigh.

"I keep telling you KF, Batman isn't evil, normally. Just grumpy."

"Yeah, whatever you say Bird Boy. But what do you think he meant about helping the League?"

There was a hurried sound as Robin tried to shush Kid Flash.

"You do remember that Superman has super hearing right?"

"Oh."

There was a pause.

"Then how come it was safe to talk back in the Lab?"

"Sound proofing. Don't you know anything?"

Batman could almost see Robin roll his eyes under his mask.

"I knew that. Just didn't think it would be thick enough to stop superheroes."

"Batman funded the creation of this base. Of course it would be."

"Oh."

There was another pause.

"There is something I want to know."

"What?"

"You are always saying your belt has everything. Why wasn't there anything to use against Superman? Like Kryptonite?"

Batman listened closely. It was a question he wanted answered too.

"There was."

"Then why didn't you use it?"

"Because I lost it!"

For the third time there was a pause.

"Ok, seriously dude. How could you lose Kryptonite?"

"I threw it into the harbour, ok?"

"Aw man! Why did you do that?"

"Because it was suppose to be used on Superboy. He's my friend. He trusts me. I couldn't carry that around knowing its only use was to harm a friend."

"I guess, you never thought Superman would be the one you would need it for."

"No. I didn't."

The conversation ended as Batman arrived at the correct door and opened it, stepping into the control room.

The younger heroes paused at the door, unsure what was going to happen next. Finally they stepped through, allowing the door to slide closed behind them and darkness to surround them. The only light in the room came from the computer which Batman stood in front of. With a series of clicks, he brought up the screen, displaying his calculations.

An awkward silence filled the room. Wally found himself wanting to fill it with mindless chatter.

"So… What is going on?" He asked.

Robin shoved his elbow into the speedster's ribs, trying to hush his friend. However, it was too late. Batman turned around to face the two teenagers. He looked hard at them, like he was trying to make up his mind about something. Then he pushed off his cowl and stepped forward, trying to project a little of Bruce Wayne as he spoke. His dark hair falling slightly over his eyes as he dipped his head to look at the boys before him.

"You were right Dick. Everything you said about the Lords is correct. Our world isn't perfect and it isn't safe. The League was a proud and noble group, but the Lords are not. We all wilfully blinded ourselves to what we were doing because we wanted so badly to hurt those who had hurt us. We aren't heroes. Not anymore. But we are dangerous. Your team mates will not survive if our plan succeeds. I know that now. I just wish I had realised that earlier."

Robin was quiet, contemplating Batman's words. He had never before witnessed Batman admitting to a mistake. This, more then anything else made him aware of how different this man was from his mentor. How broken. But Wally wasn't so thoughtful. Instead, he glared at Batman.

"Yeah, you couldn't have figured it out before I got scared for life?"

Tension drained away as Batman looked away from Robin, instead turning his attention to Kid Flash.

"I take it you are referring to the relationship between Black Canary and Green Arrow." He muttered.

Wally nodded, a little surprised the Dark Knight had picked up on his thoughts so fast. Batman almost smiled, his blue eyes almost glowing in amusement.

"You have never been the most observant person Wally West." He commented, turning away.

Wally pulled a face at Batman's back.

"What happened to Superman?" Robin asked.

It was almost a whisper.

Batman's shoulders dropped as he turned back to the teens.

"I suspect he has fallen victim to his own regret. Clark has long since lost his mind. The Lords all ignored it, hoping it wasn't true. None of us ever suspected he could be violent, epically towards children."

He held out his hand to Robin.

"May I?" he asked.

Robin hesitated slightly, glancing at Wally who shrugged. Neither of them were use to Batman asking for something, let alone trying to explain his actions. Slowly, Robin took Batman's hand. The Dark Knight pulled the boy closer and pressed a small switch on the glove. Robin's holographic computer flickered to life. Batman carefully studied it before beginning to type.

The younger heroes watched in amazement as he added more data to the information Robin had already downloaded.

"What is that?" Robin asked.

"The final piece of the puzzle." Batman replied as he finished his work, deactivating the hologram. Using his free hand, Batman pulled something from his belt and held it up for the teens to see. It looked like a small projector.

"I have left one of these in my reality. Get it and the calculations to the Leagues Batman. He should be able to start the program for the return trip."

Batman dropped Robin's hand and turned back to the computer, connecting the device to the larger computer. Behind him, Robin looked down at his glove.

"Whoa! Back up a moment. Are we really doing what I think we are doing?" Wally asked. Both Bats turned to stare at him, something which shouldn't have been nearly so intimidating without Batman's cowl. Wally gulped.

"I retract my question." He said.

Batman turned back to the computer, disconnecting the device. With practiced moves, he pressed the button on the top of the device before throwing it across the floor. It beeped as it came to rest before a bright light spilled out of the top, twisting itself into a circle.

"Cool!" Wally said, running towards the light. He skipped to a halt inches from the swirling mass before turning back.

"Rob?" He called.

Robin looked at the light, biting his lip. He held up a hand, signalling for Kid Flash to wait. The Boy Wonder turned and stepped towards Batman, jumping up to wrap his arms around the Dark Knights neck. Batman stood frozen for a few seconds before closing his eyes and gently returning the hug, one hand gripping Robin's cape to support the younger hero. The two stood still for a moment before Batman lowered Robin back to the floor.

Wally looked at the floor, wondering how many more embarrassing scenes of affection he was going to have to witness before everything got back to normal. He looked up as Robin left Batman and walked towards him.

"Ready for this KF?" Robin asked, a little of his normal cheerfulness returning as he smiled.

Wally couldn't help it. He returned the smile.

"I'm ready for anything Boy Wonder. I just hope you can keep up."

Robin laughed at the comment before turning back to Batman. The imposing figure nodded slightly. Robin returned the nod. Taking a deep breath, the 13 year old stepped forward and allowed himself to be consumed by the light, his best friend right behind him.


	18. Chapter 18

Diana watched in horror as the plan slowly unravelled. The distress signal was proving almost impossible to suppress and she had already received several comms from freelance heroes, asking for reports. Diana had managed to lie her way through most of those but there were already signs of great unrest in the hero community. Many of the Leagues allies were active, trying to understand the situation and contact their friends, many of whom were prisoners in the watchtower. With only Wonder Woman to answer their questions, everyone was edgy. None of them liked the idea that the Young Justice, the secret covert team the whole hero community knew about, could be in trouble.

And that wasn't the only problem. Many of the captured League members were proving impossible to control. Both Hawkman and Wonder Woman had been forced to retreat, barricading themselves up in the main control room when one of the breakout attempts proved too successful. Now Hawkman had left the room, attempting to retake key areas of the base.

And then there were the Lords. Diana had been shocked to learn of what had gone down in the lab. Superman had injured Robin. The only friend of the Dark Knight had laid hands on his son, a boy Clark considered to be like a nephew. No one wanted to even think of what Bruce would do now. Diana had questioned the rest of the Lords, hoping to learn of Robin's condition, but had received no answers. None of the Lords had been brave enough to hang around and assess the younger heroes injuries for fear of the Batman's temper.

Running a hand across her face, Diana sighed. It was all going wrong! Everything they had planned was falling apart.

Something slammed against the door. Diana turned around. There was another crash as the assault on the door continued. Someone was trying to get in. Activating her comm, she fell into a fighting stance.

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The Lords were once again standing in the training room. However, unlike last time, there was an uneasy silence surrounding the group. Superman was standing away from the rest of the group, his back to them and his body language unreadable as he ignored the rest of the Lords. He had attacked a child, a young hero. No one knew what that meant for them. Would the kids really be safe in their world? Would the Lords be safe with this new side to Superman? And what would Batman do?

Everyone who knew the Bat knew that, although human, Batman was possibly the only person alive with the power to take down the Man of Steel. All he had really needed was a reason to do so. And now he had that reason.

There was a soft buzz as the Man of Steels comm when off. Moving with almost impossible speed, Superman activated the device in his ear before turning towards the staring Lords.

"Diana?" he said.

The fell silent as he listened, the anger he had shown in the Lab slowly returning. His blue gaze swept the group. Many of the Lords fought not to cower. After a few seconds, Superman nodded to himself.

"Understood. I'm sending J'onn up to help you"

He deactivated to comm as the Manhunter blinked, reading in Superman's mind what was going on.

"It seems the dregs of the League are trying to retake the watchtower. J'onn, go up there and help Diana regain control." Superman ordered.

The Martian shook his head.

"No. Without my presence, M'gann would be uncontrollable. You need me here."

Superman turned towards J'onn.

"That's an order J'onn. Get up there. I will handle anything your niece does."

Behind the two aliens, Green Arrow and Black Canary exchanged glances. They didn't like the sound of that. Even the Flash looked worried. Slowly, J'onn nodded and turned away from the group.

"Very well." was all he said as he turned and left the room.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sitting on her bed, M'gann tried to meditate. She was exhausted. Despite her uncle's presence in the back of her mind, she had continued to try and recreate the link with her team, mentally draining herself as she was blocked time and time again. After all, she couldn't call herself a hero if she didn't at least try.

That was why it took her a few minutes to recognize that there was so something different. The familiar buzz in the back of her mind was slowly fading away. It was the same feeling she had every time her uncle left Mount Justice after his visits. If she had read the atmosphere correctly, it meant her uncle was leaving her mind. But why?

Slowly, M'gann pushed her mental walls forward, waiting for the inevitable pressure which signalled a block. When it didn't come, she continued to push. Soon her mental range expanded to the next room and a mind she was very familiar with.

'Superboy!' she mentally shouted. She felt him jump in shock, not expecting the sudden invasion.

'Sorry... Conner.' she muttered through the link. Quickly, she continued to push the boundaries of her mental mind, trying to find all her teammates. In a matter of second her mental boundaries covered the whole network of bedrooms.

'Bringing everyone online.' she said through the link. 'Are you all there?'

There was a snort.

'About time!' Red Arrow growled. 'Couldn't you do that earlier?'

'Hey, back off! If she could have, she would have.' Artemis snapped back. Everyone could sense another fight starting between the Arrows.

'Both of you stop.' Kaldur ordered. 'This is no time for a fight. We need to decide what we are going to do.'

'What do you mean, what we are going to do? We are going to fight!' Artemis almost shouted through the link.

Everyone winced.

'That is one option, yes.' Kaldur agreed. 'However, we have not yet discussed the possibility of co-operating with the Lords.'

There was a brief, stunned pause as the team digested their leader's words. Then Artemis screamed.

'What?'

M'gann quickly thanked herself for predicting her teammate's reaction and loosening her link around Artemis, softening her mental presence before the enraged archer managed to mentally harm anyone with her screams.

'Are you crazy?' this thought came from Red Arrow. 'After all they have done to us? After all they did to Robin? They tied him up and drugged him! Our youngest member and they treated him like a criminal to get him here.'

Everyone sighed. It was well known that Roy was protective of Robin. It was something to do with being human in a metas world. An unspoken bond between the non-powered heroes.

'Maybe we have taken the whole situation out of context.' Kaldur replied. He didn't sound hopeful.

'Yeah, and maybe their world is really full of kittens and bunnies and criminals who aren't lobotomized!' Artemis growled.

'Conner, M'gann. What are your feelings?' Kaldur appealed to the most level headed members of his team.

'I don't know. They were so happy to see us. I don't think I want to disappoint them.' M'gann replied.

'...He offered me a home.' It was almost a mental whisper, but everyone heard Conner's words.

The link fell silent as everyone contemplated the clone's thoughts. Superman's lack of interest in Conner had always been a major sticking point for the team but no one wanted to upset their friend by saying anything.

Finally, Artemis broke the silence.

'Wally's being very quiet.' she said, as if something was finally dawning on her.

'Wally?' Kaldur called through the link.

M'gann quickly searched for the Speedsters mind.

'He's not here. And neither is Robin.'

A feeling of amazement washed over the group as they realized, in their fear and anger, they had overlooked their youngest and noisiest members. M'gann swept across the base, searching for the two missing heroes while trying to keep her mental presence light enough to go undetected by the Lords.

She could feel the Lords in the training room, full of worry as she brushed across their minds. Something was going on. M'gann couldn't stop the mental cringe as she brushed against Superman's mind. A powerful anger was almost pouring off the alien. Pulling away from the group, she quickly completed her mental search, reaching the very limits of her mental range.

'Nothing.' she said. 'They are either hidden from me or they are no longer in Mount Justice.'

She could feel the horror build among the group.

Finally Kaldur broke the silence.

'We need to meet face to face. Maybe then we can figure out what to do.'


	19. Chapter 19

Robin grunted as he hit the ground, his chest once again on fire. The jagged rocks under him doing nothing to cushion his fall for his already injured body. Drawing in a deep and agonizing breath, he raised his head from the dirt, glancing over to where Wally had landed in a heap.

The speedster, with his usual incredible recovery time, had already shaken off the nausea common to these situations and was rising to his feet. There was a strange shout from some point out of Robin's view. Something red hit Wally, dragging him across the floor before it came to a halt. Robin heard his friends gasp as the speedster was pressed against the red chest of his uncle. Very wary, Robin quickly looked the Flash up and down, only allowing himself to relax when he was sure there was no traces of black in the older speedsters uniform.

Trying to ignore his burning chest and heaving stomach, Robin pushed himself up to rest on his hands and knees. There was a soft hiss of material as something black fell to the floor in front of him. Robin stared at the black before raising his eyes. It was one of the worst images a criminal of Gotham could ever see but the Boy Wonder was not intimidated as he looked up at the shadowy form of his mentor.

A quick inspection of the black bat on the figures chest assured Robin that this was the Leagues Batman and subsequently his own.

"Robin." Batman said his deep growl very different from the tone the Lords Batman had used. Robin recognized it. It was the voice Batman used whenever Robin did something stupid or interrupted something important. It was the voice which said Robin had better have something very important to say or there was going to be trouble. However, there was an undertone of something else in that voice.

Robin may have been the best at reading his mentor but it still took him a few moments to recognize the sound of relief in the detective's voice.

"Nice to see you too." he muttered with a small smile. Slowly, so he didn't jolt his ribs, he sat back to get a better look at his surroundings. They were in clearly in the Lord Batman's Batcave. Robin recognized the familiar surroundings. He could find his way through this place in the dark and on more than one occasion, had.

The rest of the League was slowly approaching, hence Batman's poker face. Robin felt his own slide into place as Superman reached them. The Boy Scout gave him a warm smile which Robin didn't return.

"Robin, it's good to see you." the blue and red hero said.

Batman quickly cut him off.

"Where is the rest of your team?" he asked.

There was a series of muffled sounds. The League, now surrounding the younger heroes, glanced at Wally who still had his head buried against his uncle's chest. The speedsters reluctantly untangled, although Barry made sure to keep one arm wrapped around Wally's shoulders.

"The Lords have them." The younger speedster answered.

There was a snort from the corner.

"I can't believe we are calling them that." Muttered Green Lantern.

The League carefully ignored him but Robin found himself glancing at Kid Flash. Wally shook his head, clearly unsure what was going on to cause Green Lantern such distress.

"This doesn't help anything!" This voice belonged to Wonder Woman. The Amazonian was standing at the edge of the group, her hands on her hips.

All eyes in the cave suddenly fixed on her as she studied the two young heroes.

"We still don't know how to get back, and since the Lords still have most of the Young Justice team, they still have everything over us."

"Not necessarily."

The Martian Manhunter stepped forward.

"Yes, it seems that the Lords have control of the majority of the Young Justice team. But that does not mean they have the children's cooperation. The members of Young Justice are remarkably perceptive. I feel they would not follow the Lords willingly."

Once again, Robin felt all eyes in the room on him.

"Is that true?" Superman asked.

Robin glanced once again at Batman. The Dark Knight was the closest to the Boy Wonder, staring down at his protégée and adopted child. Then, with an almost invisible movement of his head, he indicated towards Superman.

Robin recognised the unasked question. He gave a small nod, trying to indicate an answer only to his mentor. Then he turned to Superman, who was still watching him. Inwardly, Robin groaned. He hated to lie to the man he thought of as an uncle, but it couldn't be helped. He just hoped no one decided to question what loyalty Clark deserved from Conner.

"Yes. We fought the Lords. That's why they locked us up."

Superman nodded, accepting Robin's comment.

"And as for getting back," The younger hero continued "A friend gave me something which can help us."

Grinning, Robin activated his glove computer, showing the display of numbers. Silence fell through the cave as the League processed this new turn of events. With a speed and silence even Metahumans envied, Batman knelt down to study the projection.

There was a faint sound of air moving as Wally vanished from his uncle's side. This was followed by a crash from one of the sub caves before Wally reappeared, holding a small mechanical device in his hand.

"Found it." He said, holding the object up. He paused for a moment, looking guilty. "Oh, and I knocked down your dinosaur. Since when did you have a dinosaur?"

Robin ignored the Kid Flash, instead holding out his hand for the device. Wally handed it over, glancing nervously at Batman who was still studying the projection.

The Dark Knight finally looked away as Robin held out the device to his mentor. Taking it in his own gloved hands; he subjected the device to the same intense stare he had used to study the projection. Robin recognised the unasked question.

"The friend told us you would know what to do." The younger hero said.

Batman finally tore his eyes away from the device to look at his young partner.

"This friend. Who is he?"

Robin didn't answer. Instead, he smiled.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash sighed as he strolled through the hanger. The speedster had volunteered to patrol the base and watch for any possible signs of activity from the imprisoned teenagers. But more importantly, Barry Allen was using the time to get his thoughts together. The Flash walked through the shadows of the poorly light hanger, only pausing once to glance up at the fully formed Martian bio-ship. Wally had loved talking about that ship. In the days before he had been killed, Wally would often go on and on about it and the many other cool things he witnessed as a member of the Young Justice. Even his souvenir collection had its own place in Wally's list of cool topics to discuss with his uncle. Shaking his head slightly as he pushed away the memories, Barry continued his slow walk, allowing less pleasant thoughts to enter his mind.

Superman was insane. There was no other way to put it. The alien had not only harmed a teammate's child, but threatened the safety of another young hero in front of his entire team. It was a horrible thought, but Barry realised he could no longer guarantee his nephews safety around the Man of Steel.

Barry sighed to himself, only glancing up as he noticed footsteps. From the shadows, Green Arrow appeared. The archer glanced around quickly before walking over.

"There you are." Ollie stated as he drew close, his hand falling across his bow as if he expected an attack any second. Barry couldn't help but stare at the archer's hand.

"Listen, I've been talking to Dinah and she thinks the Young Justice members will die if we finish the mission. I need to know what you think."

Barry couldn't stop the look of shock appear on his face at Ollie's words. Only one word came to his mind.

"Superman?" he asked.

Ollie nodded.

"That's what she thinks. Him or Bats. I didn't want to believe her but now I can't get it out of my head. If we take those kids home, who's to say we aren't taking them to their deaths?"

Barry felt his gaze fall to the floor.

"Superman doesn't like being challenged." He muttered.

Ollie patted him on the shoulder.

"I know my kids. Roy and Artemis are both pig-headed. They will fight me through this whole thing. I never doubted that. And I am sure Wally will do the same with you. We saw what Clark did to Robin. Considering what happened there, how long do you think our kids will survive?"

Barry wanted to shake his head, to deny everything. But he couldn't. He had wanted so badly to see his nephew again. To know that the younger hero was alive and safe and would continue to live and be safe. But now he realised. The safest Wally could ever be was away from him. Not away from the Flash altogether, but away from the Lords and their insane world. The Lords had committed so many atrocities in the name of the Young Justice. So many deaths could be linked back to a team of teenagers, who had only ever wanted to save lives. To take them now, would be to throw all those deaths on the shoulders of the young heroes. It was maddening.

The Lords had used their rage to destroy themselves. Barry could not allow the Young Justice to suffer the same fate.

Forcing himself to once again look up at Ollie, Barry felt a feeling he had long since lost. A feeling of determination, a need to see justice done.

"What do we need to do?" he asked.

Ollie smiled; glad he had managed to convince the speedster.

"We need to get those kids to safety."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From up in the Bio-ship, Artemis watched the two heroes. With M'gann's powers no longer being blocked, escape had been surprisingly simple. The team, once freed from their rooms, had met in the hanger before relocating to the bio-ship. It was a good holding point. The one entrance was easy to defend and the on-board computer was, given its sentient nature, able to connect with any other computers in range. Currently, it was scanning the base, looking for signs of the teams missing members but with little success.

M'gann sat in the pilot's seat, conducting a mental check of the craft. Kaldur stood in the corner, watching the results of the scan. Conner was sitting in his designated seat, his arms crossed over his chest and the infamous 'S' Shield as he stared into space. And Roy….

Artemis glanced up. The other arrow had been very quiet, pacing through the ships interior. Finally, he had come to a stop next to Artemis and followed her line of sight.

She had called for attention the moment the first Lord had stepped into view and had watched the conversation with increased interest. Sadly, M'gann's need to concentrate, plus a natural block built by the Martian Manhunter many years ago had meant eavesdropping on the pair was impossible, but the body language from the group had been enough to catch the two arrows interest. Both Lords were showing signs of anger, but not towards the Young Justice. M'gann had been able to confirm that the teenager's escapes were yet to be noticed. So something else was upsetting the Lords.

"What do you think they are saying?" Roy finally asked.

Artemis shrugged.

"You know them both better than I do." She muttered.

Normally, it was a comment which Roy would use against Artemis, flaunting his long history with the older heroes. But this time he didn't, instead continuing to watch the pair.

"They look angry but also…sad." Roy said, allowing Artemis to hear his musing.

The two Arrows continued to watch as below them, the Lords turned and walked away.

There was a gasp and a thud. The two arrows turned to find the source of the sound. M'gann was kneeling on the ground, her eyes closed and her hand pressed against her forehead. The four remaining heroes gathered around their fallen martian college as the girl blinked.

"M'gann? Are you alright?" Kaldur asked, holding his hand out to her.

M'gann accepted the offer, allowing her leader to pull her to her feet.

"I'm fine." She muttered. "It just felt like the Lords have…. doubled."

"Doubled? That's just great." Artemis replied.

Kaldur sighed.

"It looks like it is just another thing we must deal with."


	20. Chapter 20

3 ½ years into the future.

Some of the League members were slowly drifting away as Batman continued to study the device. Green Lantern had already disappeared, flying towards the holding cells. Wonder Woman had quickly followed him. Robin was not sure what either of them was doing but they did not look happy about it. Green Arrow had walked off towards one of the sub-caves, Aquaman on his heels and the Martian Manhunter had disappeared to some corner. Even the Flash had moved away, although not as far as the rest. Robin glanced over to where the red hero stood with his nephew, the two speedsters talking quietly. Robin had no idea what they were talking about but he was sure he heard the word 'dinosaur' and at least one nervous look towards Batman. In fact, only Superman stayed, watching Batman and occasionally glancing at Robin as the boy made himself comfortable on the floor.

"Robin, give me your glove."

Robin felt himself freeze at Batman's orders. While the younger hero had been musing, The Dark Knight had risen to his feet, the projection device in one hand and his free hand held out for the glove. Robin knew his mentor's interest wasn't in his glove, but rather the computer. However, he was still hesitant.

Although the injuries caused by his brief capture by the Lords Batman were not great, Robin had still bandaged his forearms, trying to provide some layer of protection between his bruised and cut wrists and the heavy machinery of his wrist computer.

The dim light of the cave would not be enough to hide anything from the sharp eyes of the world's greatest detective and Robin knew Batman would question all unexplained injuries. Once he knew about Robins arms, there was nothing to stop him from finding out about the Boy Wonders other injuries and how they had gotten there.

Robin did not want to add to the already thick tension in the cave, but looking up at his mentor, he saw no other choice. With a small sigh, Robin pulled the glove off, making no effort to hide anything. As Robin predicted, Batman noticed the bandages. Instead of taking the glove Robin offered him, the Dark Knight grabbed his wards hand, pulling his arm up to inspect the bandages.

"What is this?" he growled, his voiced dropping an octave.

Robin had to admit, it looked bad. Some of the nastier cuts had managed to bleed through the bandages, leaving spots of blood visible on the white. And Batman was getting into a dangerous mood. Robin could hear it in his voice. Years of experience had taught the younger hero that in these situations, silence was the best option, especially when the two heroes standing before him were going to hold themselves responsible.

"Robin?" Batman tried again, watching the boy. He knew from many years' experience that Robin was intimidated by the sudden attention. The 13 year old was incredibly brave but sometimes the Dark Knight had to remind himself that the boy was still 13. Forcing his voice to soften, Batman tried again. "What else are you hiding?"

"It's nothing." Robin muttered, knowing that he couldn't escape. Batman despite all his failings did care and was going to press the issue until he had the full story.

The Dark Knight started at him, trying to find the truth. Robin looked away before mentally kicking himself. Avoiding eye contact was a sure sign of guilt, something Batman would pick up on. And it seemed, this time Superman picked up on it too. The alien stepped forward and knelt down, entering the conversation.

"Robin, if you are injured, we need to know how."

The Man of Steel reached down to place a comforting hand on his adopted nephews shoulder. Robin flinched, for a second seeing black and white. Superman hesitated, noting Robin's reaction. He glanced up at Batman. The detective returned the stare. Both of them knew that Robin was hiding something.

Releasing Robin's hand, Batman quickly attached both the projector and the glove to his belt before kneeling down once again. He had a horrible feeling he already knew why Robin was withholding information.

"The Lords?" he asked.

Robin nodded, glad that Batman finally seemed to understand.

Standing up, Batman reached down and wrapped a hand around the younger heroes arm, pulling him to his feet. Robin gasped as the sudden movement sent a jolt of pain through his chest. He placed his free arm against his ribs in an unconscious protective action. Superman was suddenly at his side, once again playing the worried uncle.

Robin glared at Superman. He had made it this far without help. Hell, Robin had worked through much worse injuries then this. He wasn't going to let the older heroes treat him like a child.

"I'm fine. I can handle myself." He muttered, knowing Superman would hear him. The world famous Boy Scout looked him up and down but didn't back off.

Robin looked over to Batman, hoping the older hero would be able to back him up. The older hero ignored him.

"Robin. Medical bay." He snapped.

Robin opened his mouth to argue but Batman pinned him with a glare.

"Now Robin!"

The Boy Wonder sighed and took a step towards the small side room. Superman attempted to follow but Batman quickly blocked him.

"Not you Kent."

Superman was about to argue but saw the look in Batman's eyes. He quickly backed off, watching as the Dark Knight escorted his ward across the cave. With a sigh Superman sat down. He didn't know what had happened to the younger hero, but he had a bad feeling he was somehow involved.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superman floated through the cave, nodding and giving words of encouragement to the other members of the League as he passed. Green Lantern was still standing guard by the cell. Green Arrow had appeared to try and talk to his friend. Although he hadn't meant to, Superman had found himself eavesdropping on the conversation as Hal expressed his worry. The Lantern Corp member couldn't understand how he could change so much in three short years and was worried for his future. Ollie had joked around, trying to make Hal smile but Ollie was too worried himself to really put effort into it and both heroes had lapsed into silence.

Superman had decided not to get involved and left the two heroes to their silence instead floating over to Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, the Lords who had stolen across to the Leagues universe had not been the only Lords in this reality and Wonder Woman had been put on damage control, replying to many comms sent to the cave. It seemed that, although the remaining Lords knew the majority of their group were in the Batcave, they had no idea what their friends were planning. Diana had managed to fool the questioning Lords, pretending she was her Lords self to get them off track. Even as Superman passed the Amazonian, he could hear her talking with the Lords Captain Atom, talking him out of visiting the cave.

On the other side of the cave, Aquaman was in conversation with the Martian Manhunter. The Atlantian was sceptical of Batman's attempts to get the League home and was questioning J'onn about his martian abilities, trying to find another way back.

Superman decided not to get involved. He glanced over at the main control panel where Batman was working once more. Robin had been dragged to the medical bay, where Batman had managed to assess the boy's injuries and get the full story from the younger hero. Superman wished he hadn't eavesdropped on that conversation.

His guilt level was at its highest as he let his eyes rest on Robin. The boy was sitting on the floor once again, his arms wrapped around his knees as he watched Batman work.

Slowly, Superman floated towards the younger hero, only stopping to nod to the Flash. Barry was also sitting on the floor, Kid Flash asleep with his head on the older heroes lap. The younger speedster had fallen asleep a few minutes before, the quiet of the cave and the safety of his uncles arms enough to allow the younger hero to relax. Barry returned the nod even as Wally started to snore lightly. Superman smiled.

Floating closer, Superman allowed his feet to touch the ground, the sound letting Robin know that he was there. Taking the last step to stand by Robin, he couldn't help but draw the boy's attention to him.

"Robin?" He asked.

The Boy Wonder looked up at him. Superman could feel the boy reading him.

"You heard." Robin said. It was a statement, not a question, but Superman felt himself nod as he sat down.

"I'm sorry." The Man of Steel said.

Robin smiled slightly.

"Don't be. You haven't done anything." The kid replied.

"But I might one day." Superman replied.

Robin shifted closer, close enough that Superman could feel the boy's body heat against his arm.

"No you won't. I won't let you."

Superman couldn't help but smile at this small human, so full of confidence. Slowly, he wrapped his arm around Robins shoulders, feeling his guilt leave as the boy he thought of as a favourite nephew relaxed and lent against his chest.

"You know, Conner isn't a bad guy once you get to know him." Robin muttered.

Superman blinked.

"Conner?" he asked.

"Superboy's new name." Robin answered.

Superman sighed slightly but didn't push Robin away.

"First Batman, then you." He muttered.

Robin replied by elbowing him in the chest. Superman lent back, playfully pretending the force had pushed him back. However, he stopped the moment he realised Robin was going for another hit. Determined to stop the boy hurting himself, Superman quickly grabbed Robin's wrist.

"Alright. You win. I will talk to him." He said. He didn't mind Batman hating him. According to the Flash, Batman hated everyone. Superman had learnt to live with that. But Superman did not want Robin hating him. The kid was so naturally playful, so friendly. Being hated by the kid might just kill the Man of Steel. If agreeing to a meeting with his clone would keep the Boy Wonder happy, then Superman would do it.

Robin nodded against Superman's chest.

"Thank you."

Superman wrapped his free arm around Robin, pulling the kid into a gentle hug.

Something started to beep, a shrill noise. Everyone glanced towards the noise.

"Wha!" Wally said as he jerked awake.

The young speedster pulled back his glove to stare at his watch. He groaned and turned the alarm off.

"Argh! Don't wanna go to school." He muttered. There was a pause as Wally remembered the events of the night before. Suddenly he was up, glancing around the cave.

"Awww man! I thought it was all a dream. My parents are going to kill me!"

"If the Lords don't kill you first." Robin muttered as Barry stepped forward, trying to talk Wally out of his panic.

Ignoring everything, Batman stood up, disconnecting the projector from the computer. Noticing his friend, Superman quickly rose to his feet before offering to help Robin up. The kid ignored him, pushing himself up to his feet in time to catch his glove as Batman tossed it towards him.

The Dark Knight crossed to the middle of the cave and placed the projector on the floor, activating it before stepping back. For the second time, Robin and Kid Flash watched as light spilled from the device, twisting itself into a tunnel. Without a word, the League gathered around the device.

Stepping forward to stand with his friend, Wally sighed.

"Well, here we go again."


End file.
